The Dead of Winter
by ForeverFalling86
Summary: Hitsugaya is sent to watch over Hogwarts to protect the living's souls from the Dementors while they search for Sirius Black and to learn about the soul eating creatures. But things don't go according to plan.
1. Without Him

**EDITED 2011-07-16**

* * *

The news of his mission had arrived via letter and was handed to him by Matsumoto. The other Shinigami in question quickly rushed from the room like a bat from hell as soon as she'd handed it over.

Hitsugaya quirked an eyebrow at his subordinate's antics, but quickly dismissed them to focus on the matters at hand. She was always acting oddly, that tended to happen when you drank over five bottles of sake every night. Brain cells were probably in short supply by now.

As he opened the envelope he pulled several pages that seemed to have been ripped out from a book. Apparently, someone had been to lazy to just recopy it. Idiots. He was working with idiots.

The title of the passages caught his eye. "Dementors...hm." The text said they looked similar to how humans portrayed the Grim Reaper. Since essentially Shinigami were the 'Grim Reapers' many people were always extremely insulted by this seeing as the Grim Reaper was generally a skeletal being with a rather fearful face. Actually in the case of Kurotsuchi-taicho it wasn't too far off the mark. But who really wanted to be placed in the same category as him?

The creatures had the unfortunate effect of draining all of the happiness from their surrounding area along with the ability to eat souls-

"Wait, _eat_ them?"

Hitsugaya quickly reread the last few sentences to ensure he hadn't been mistaken. But there was no mistake; they ate the living humans', along with stray souls that had yet to make it to Soul Society.

For centuries souls had gone unaccounted for, as if they'd disappeared, even when no Hollows had been detected in the area. Hundreds of them, simply gone. Yet, really they were being eaten by these sorts of Hollow mutations. They would have to be destroyed. He continued reading through the passage with a frown on his face as he tried to think of a plan to eradicate the creatures swiftly.

'Dementors are used as the guards of the famous wizard prison Azkaban.'

Toshiro stopped short, teal eyes straying from the page in front of him. Wizards? Guards? He looked back down and once again reread the sentence. Was this the reason for Matsumoto's behaviour? The small taicho sighed with annoyance as he realized the busty woman was playing a joke on him. He was about to crumple of the papers when he hesitated, noting that the envelope had had the Soutaicho's seal, and there was no way someone even as crafty as _Matsumoto_ could gain access to it, or forge it in any way. Although, he wouldn't put it past her to try.

In short- oh how he loathed the word- according to this, wizards…were real. He let his mind absorb the fact for a moment, a deep crease forming between his brows as he practically glared out into space. _Wizards_. Right. It was going to be a long day.

When he finally managed to gather his thoughts he went back to reading and the text went on to say that the only way to get rid of a Dementor was to use the Expecto Patronum charm and apparently that didn't even kill them.

"Who comes up with these names?" The small taicho wondered aloud as he looked over the information.

A simple konso to release all of the souls the creatures had absorbed would most likely destroy them. It all seemed easy enough. But, apparently these creatures were under the control of some Ministry, with their powers being used to subdue dangerous criminals.

Hitsugaya disagreed greatly with the so called 'wizards'' choice. If the information was accurate no one, not even a convicted criminal deserved to suffer the effects of the Dementors' powers. To have all of their hope and happy memories taken from them; when they were often the only thing they had left. It was borderline torture.

By some records he could tell these things were hard to control; often attacking innocent people. Apparently they were becoming more resilient and would soon most likely become uncontrollable. These people were walking on the razor's edge by working with the Dementors. If they thought the creatures were still completely under their control then they were a bunch of pompous idiots. That seemed to be the theme in most human governments.

The leader of the wizard's government, or Ministry as they called it was a man by the name of Cornelius Fudge. He'd never liked fudge. Too much of it could rot anyone's teeth, and it seemed this man was rotting the Ministry from the inside out. A letter from him to someone named Dumbledore was also included within the contents of the envelope. A brief skim through it told him that some of the Dementors would be stationed at a school called Hogwarts while they were working to find and consume the soul of a convict named Sirius Black. Toshiro didn't envy the man. It was one thing to be eaten by a Hollow, but to have your soul sucked from your body then be left to rot? That was another matter entirely.

This Fudge character was clearly not fit to be the wizards' leader if he believed for a second that the students of the school would be safe with those monsters roaming through the area. If they were anything like Hollows, then they would be drawn to the school due to the massive amount of people.

Toshiro continued to flip through the pages. It was all straight forward enough but what did it all have to do with him? A pair of seated or even several unseated offices could take care of the creatures, though a mass eradication would have to be planned eventually.

He stopped when he reached the page he'd been looking for: a signed letter containing his orders from Yamamoto.

_Hitsugaya-kun,_

_Regarding the information collected on the creatures known as Dementors, we have carefully considered it and have decided that while they remain under control we shall not take any action against them._

_However, we believe the situation warrants monitoring to ensure the safety of the living while they are loose searching for the criminal whose name was stated previously. Therefore your orders are to..._

* * *

Matsumoto sat on a bench a few halls away from her taicho's office. She didn't want to be anywhere near there when he read of his orders. _Damn_, she would miss her snowy little friend. A whole ten months away...which meant she was being left in charge of the Division...which meant all of the paperwork!

'Maybe taicho will take it with him,' she thought wishfully as the temperature suddenly dropped.

"Looks like he knows," she sighed, her breathe coming in a whirl of white.

Several officers who had been walking down the hall slipped on the now ice covered floor.

"Man if this is what_ this_ hallway looks like imagine the one outside of taicho's office," one of them said through rattling teeth as he held onto the wall to stop himself for slipping again.

If the walls hadn't been covered in frost, it might have worked.

But it seemed it just wasn't the man's day as he quickly fell, dragging several others with him until they all lay in a giant pile of bodies on the floor.

"Ow."

Matsumoto sighed, "It sure will be boring around here without taicho."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!

ForeverFalling.


	2. Placing Bets

**EDITED 2011-07-16**

* * *

Hitsugaya sat glaring down at the papers in his hands as if he could burn them through sheer force of will. Because, not only was he being sent away for ten months, but he was being forced to masquerade as a _thirteen year old boy_. He was one hundred and twenty-one and they expected him to gallivant about at some school, leaving Matsumoto in charge his division?

The small taicho pinched the bridge of his nose as he set the envelope's contents on his desk. There was no possible way he could leave Matsumoto alone for ten months, never mind in charge of the division. It could only lead to disaster, and with his luck he'd return to find all of the buildings had burned to the ground. Crazy people. He worked with crazy people.

He'd caught her lighting a fire in his office once as she was trying to dispose of the paper work he had assigned her. He'd be gone for ten minutes and already his drapes had been turned to ash, his couch had been scorched and the room smelled of smoke for weeks. And they expected him to leave her alone for _ten months_?

He vaguely wondered how many intervals of ten minutes were in ten months...He was doomed.

The small taicho grumbled as he once again picked up the papers and rifled through them until he found a small letter. His name was printed on it in a lurid green that quite frankly hurt his eyes. He quickly ripped it open and threw aside the envelope to spare his eyes from having to look at the ungodly colour any further.

_Dear Mr. Hitsugaya, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. The term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later then by 31 July._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy Headmistress_

They wanted him to reply via _owl_?

And people said using hell butterflies was odd. At least they didn't make a racket or a mess. He thought the idea of using butterflies to be much more practical...although he had accidentally frozen a few. That was probably the reason he'd received his mission through letter, that and the Soutaicho probably didn't feel like dealing with the cold. But still, by owl? Where exactly was he going to get an owl?

He sighed, finally deciding to worry about that at a later date. He found the list that had been described in the letter and quickly scanned it. He'd need uniforms, several text books, parchment and quills.

He couldn't help but frown at that. He much preferred writing with a brush, although maybe he could get away with that. He'd also need a telescope, some scales, several instruments that he could probably get from the twelfth division, and a wand.

Toshiro stopped for a moment. They wanted him to get a wand? From what he had gathered while reading through the information he'd received, wizards used their wands to fight. So, for ten months they expected him to replace Hyorinmaru with a _stick_?

The very thought made his stomach sink.

Hyorinmaru was more than a katana; he was a valued friend and a source of stability. No matter what was happening he could always take comfort in the fact that Hyorinmaru was with him. But...orders were orders. Hitsugaya sighed as he realized he'd have to head out to London in a few days to pick up his supplies. Hopefully the owl had already been sent notifying the school of his attending.

He looked up as he heard some quiet swearing from outside his door. He sat up and stared, waiting for the door to finally slide open.

Matsumoto had tried to buy herself some time by watching officer after unsuspecting officer slip on the icy floor of the hallway. The temperature would take sudden dips every now and again but over all it had gotten slightly warmer throughout the office. It was then that she decided it was safe to go and see her taicho. The only problem was the door seemed to have been frozen shut. She stared at the door, swearing quietly so her taicho hopefully wouldn't hear as she wondered how she would get it open.

She eventually decided on using a weak hado to melt the ice. When she finally pried the door open she entered to the sight of Hitsugaya staring at her with a frown set on his adorable face.

Matsumoto smiled widely, "Taicho don't worry I'll take care of the division while you're gone! You have nothing to worry about!"

The small snowy haired teen stared at his smiling subordinate and couldn't help but think there was something ominous about the way she said she'd 'take care' of his division.

"Matsumoto, I wouldn't trust you to 'take care' of one of my plants for ten months by yourself, never mind my division."

The woman just laughed loudly as she threw herself down onto the couch. "Oh taicho you're so funny!"

"I'm quite serious. I'm actually wondering if I should have Kuchiki-taicho check up on you every so often."

The strawberry blonde whined at that. "That stick in the mud? But taicho he's so mean! Why not Ukitake-taicho?"

"We both know he wouldn't stop you from lighting the office on fire the moment you bat your eyelashes. The man is too soft on you. On _everyone_ for that matter. He's too easy for you to break."

There was also the fact he was unsure if the sickly captain could actually handle the strain that came with being in charge of her.

Matsumoto gave a huff, "I bet I could get rid of Kuchiki easy enough if I put my mind to it."

"Why not put your mind to actually doing something useful. Like oh, I don't know...the paperwork, instead of antagonizing Kuchiki-taicho," Hitsugaya snapped.

"But taichoooo," she whined in response "Work is so boring."

"Matsumoto!"

"I'll just get the third seat to do it for me," she smiled.

"You shall do no such thing! The man is on the verge of a mental breakdown because of you as it is!"

"Really?"

"YES," he yelled as the temperature dropped several degrees

"And he's only been here for two weeks! This will be the third one this year and I will no longer stand for you running through my officers quicker than your sake! Kuchiki-taicho will make sure you leave that poor man alone and behave yourself."

Matsumoto gave a 'humph', "I bet I could scare off Kuchiki."

"I highly doubt that."

A small smirk spread across the woman's face, "Ne, taicho?"

"No."

"But I didn't even—

"No!"

"Taicho I bet I can get rid of Kuchiki before you return from your mission! I'll even do all the paperwork until I do, but if (when) I scare him off I'll send all the paperwork to you!"

Toshiro stared; doubting Matsumoto could only ever lead to trouble. But, she was pitting herself against the most cold, stoic, and calm taicho in all of the Gotai thirteen.

She didn't stand a chance.

"Fine," he eventually agreed seeing as his victory was almost assured "I'll take that bet."

Matsumoto grinned; little did 'Shiro-chan' know that she actually went easy on him. After all, who could_ really_ torture the tiny, snowy taicho? He was just too cute! But she'd pull out all the stops for Kuchiki. There would be no holding back.

He didn't stand a chance.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So sorry for the long delay between chapters! Right now I'm just 'setting the stage' as I like to put if before really getting on with the story. I would just like to say that the chapter length will increase when more of the Harry Potter characters come into the plot. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Seriously I didn't expect that many reviews, you guys are awesome. As any writer knows, reviews are an author's driving force.

ForeverFalling.


	3. A Brewing Storm

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thank you to all those who reviewed, it _really_ makes my day to read them all and to know you're enjoying the story so far. Thanks for reading!

**EDITED 2011-07-16**

* * *

The day after receiving his orders Toshiro found a large trunk outside his office and if the hideous amount of candy accompanying several books was any sign, Ukitake-taicho must have had someone bring it over during the night.

The small taicho couldn't help but shake his head at the man's antics. It seemed that no matter how many times he refused the candy, asked politely that the elder taicho stop sending it to him, or given it away to Zaraki's second, the man was still dead set on giving him disgustingly large amounts of sweets. Matsumoto couldn't even finish eating one bag before he had been given three more. At this rate his office would be overrun with sweets and Matsumoto's teeth would rot.

Hitsugaya sighed as he threw yet another bag of candy onto his desk and pulled out the texts he would need to study for his mission. Thankfully he'd only be expected to learn up to the second year's material. Hell, with all the paperwork that he had found _mysteriously_ shoved under the couch he'd barely have time for that.

Hitsugaya absentmindedly flipped through some of the books noting that he would most likely be able to get by with just learning the theory for now. Once he had his wand –he glowered at the thought- he could actually attempt the spells. But, for now the knowledge of how to perform them would suffice. He tossed the book aside and leaned back in chair, revelling in the silence.

Wait. Silence?

A pair of icy teal eyes snapped open.

"Matsumoto?"

The woman was no where in sight, or hearing distance for that matter.

He could only hope that she wasn't off antagonizing Kuchiki already, although he wouldn't put it past her. Leave it to Matsumoto to actually show some initiative over something like this, but she still couldn't be bothered to do her paperwork.

Hitsugaya felt a wave of sadness at the thought of leaving his subordinate behind for ten months. The woman annoyed him to no end but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss her. He considered her a close friend, which he would never actually admit to anyone if they should ask. But, they understood one another; they had a special bond formed from fighting side by side for decades. From being able to trust undoubtedly that the other had your back, from hundreds of fights survived together. Despite their differences and clashing personalities, they were friends. More than that, they were comrades. The small taicho couldn't help but let loose another sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Only a few more days until I leave,' he thought; and with that he grabbed a text book and started reading.

* * *

Toshiro closed the last book having just finished reading A History of Magic Level Two. He had been rather surprised to find all of the books fascinating, while also far below his reading level. The overall curriculum was interesting, if not a little unbelievable at points. Dragons and Vampires he could believe. After all, Hyorinmaru was an ice dragon and vampires seemed to be a race similar to that of the Bounts. But dwarves, kappas, and giants? It all seemed a little far fetched.

It had taken him the greater part of three days to read through the books he had been given while also ensuring he didn't fall behind in his paperwork. During that time he had barely even lain eyes on Matsumoto except when she'd rushed into the room, grabbed an extremely large jar of jam from inside her desk and disappeared just as quickly, practically cackling.

Frankly, he didn't want to know _what_ the woman was up to. It would just lead to another headache.

But...jam?

What could she possibly have planned that involved _that large_ an amount of _jam_? If it had been anyone else he would have ignored it, but this was Matsumoto. Clearly something was up. A storm was brewing and Kuchiki (who had agreed to watch over her during his absence) was going to be caught right in the middle of it. He had no idea what he was in for.

The poor, unsuspecting fool.

But, Hitsugaya knew the stoic man would stand firm. Kuchiki would beat the woman out in the end. At least, he hoped so for the sake of the bet— Toshiro could have slammed his head on his desk.

It had finally happened. He'd been corrupted by Matsumoto.

The white haired boy groaned, "Someone kill me"

* * *

It was finally the day.

Hitsugaya was to leave in mere minutes.

His trunk was completely packed, he'd already picked up his gigai and he had readied his office, which meant anything breakable had been packed away in his quarters along with anything he actually _liked_. Any other taicho would simply leave their office the way they always had it. But no other taicho had Matsumoto working under them. There had been many incidents in which he'd come back from a long mission to find his favourite plants dead, his chair broken, windows cracked and the room smelling distinctly of sake. The woman could not be trusted with these things.

Unohana had kindly offered to take care of his plants while he was away and he had quickly accepted the offer. The last time Matsumoto had been assigned the task he'd returned to find his purple Narcissuses (1) that she had given him for his birthday almost dead and his pot of Thyme under his desk along with a large pile of bread crusts.

Needless to say, she was no longer allowed anywhere near his plants.

"TAICHO!"

Hitsugaya winced as the woman rushed into the room carrying a large pile of clothing, "Yes Matsumoto?"

"I just realized you're leaving for the living world today and you have no clothes!"

"The school has uniforms I don't ne—

"You can't just wear a uniform everyday! What about on civvies days or while you're in town picking up your supplies?" The woman asked looking scandalized. "I picked out the cutest outfits for you taicho so come on you have to get changed."

The next thing he knew, Toshiro had been thrown into the washroom along with several articles of clothes she had pulled from the pile.

He sighed as he realized that his subordinate had a point; he couldn't simply walk around in his uniform for the two days before he had to catch the train to Hogwarts. The young taicho reluctantly pulled off his robes and slipped on a black short sleeved polo with the tenth division's symbol embroidered in red over his heart and pulled on a pair of dark jeans that he found to be too form fitting for his liking. A belt was already looped through the pants and he quickly tightened it to fit his waist.

He then opened the door only to have a pair of shoes shoved forcefully into his arms causing the air to escape from his lungs with an 'oof'.

"Put them on, put them on," Matsumoto ushered as she practically shoved him onto the couch.

"Look I –

"Come on taicho, you have to get going soon!"

Hitsugaya growled as he slipped on the shoes and quickly stood. The woman looked him over carefully.

"Hm. Only one more thing," she said before ruffling his hair to make it even messier than before.

"There," she exclaimed happily as she continued to gush, "Taicho you look so cute! All the girls are going to love you. Now come on the gate to the living world won't stay open forever."

She grabbed his arm as another officer appeared to grab his trunk and the small taicho couldn't help but wonder if she was rushing so she could get rid of him.

Outside the division building they found Ukitake waiting, a gate already open.

"Toshiro-kun those clothes suit you nicely," the man smiled.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho," the white haired youth snapped back as he pulled his arm from Matsumoto's tight hold.

"Yes, yes I know," the man said in a placating tone with a wave of his pale hand "But you'd better hurry up, the gate has been open for long enough as it is."

Hitsugaya nodded as the officer holding his trunk quickly shoved it through the gate and stepped back.

"Matsumoto you had better do the paperwork while I'm gone," he said as he turned to the woman.

She nodded before pulling him into a bone crushing hug, "Oh I'm going to miss you so much. You had better write to me otherwise I might just have to go down there myself to see you!"

Toshiro gasped slightly as he tried to draw air into his lungs and finding himself failing at the simple task miserably.

"Um...Matsumoto-san I think you might want to let him go. I don't think he can breathe," Ukitake smiled gently.

The buxom officer reluctantly let him go, grinning sheepishly before the man continued, "Take care of yourself Toshiro-kun. This mission is very important but that doesn't mean you should forget about your own safety. And here," he added as he pulled a bag of candy from his sleeve and quickly tucked it into the boy's arms.

"I won't be seeing you for ten months after all," he said rather sadly. "We'll all miss you."

Normally Hitsugaya would have said something about the candy and calling him Toshiro instead of his title. But, the man was right; he wouldn't be seeing him again for quite a while.

"Don't worry Ukitake-san I'll be fine. Thank you," he said with a small bow and with that he headed through the gate and he heard Matsumoto call after him,

"Don't worry taicho! I'll take care of everything!"

He couldn't help but feel that her words were rather ominous.

* * *

(1) I actually put a lot thought into what plants Hitsugaya should have. A Narcissus means 'Stay as sweet as you are'. Matsumoto had a bit of a hidden message when she gave him that plant : ) Thyme means strength and courage.


	4. A Calming Storm

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Well here is chapter three...well really chapter four if I include the prologue...which I'm going to because it's easier for me! So yes, chapter four of Winter's Wind. I would like to thank all of you who reviewed; they _really_ do make my day. Thanks for reading.

**EDITED 2011-07-16 **

* * *

_He headed through the gate and he heard Matsumoto call after him, "Don't worry taicho! I'll take care of everything!" _

_He couldn't help but feel that her words were rather ominous. _

* * *

Hitsugaya appeared in an old run down alley as he stepped through the gate into where he hoped to be London. He'd been to Russian, Germany, Japan, Romania, Africa –how anyone could possibly stand the heat was beyond him-, and many other places, but never London.

The sky was grey, casting the area in a sombre light. As he dragged his trunk to the mouth of the alley he could see people rushing about their business in hopes of escaping the impending rain. A rumble of thunder echoed through the skies as Hitsugaya felt a shiver of anticipation run down his spine. He could feel the storm on his skin like a weak electrical current. The air was thick with the smell of it all as people ran for cover and the sky opened up.

As the rain began to fall to the earth Toshiro relished the feeling of the water pounding against his face, beading on his skin. The air that had once been humid was now cool and refreshing. He loved the rain, the very smell calmed him. It washed away everything whether it be dirt and sweat stuck to your skin, or the blood that pooled on the battlefield. It cleansed the earth as it beat soothing rhythms on the roof tops and lulled the world into a sense of ease.

Hitsugaya sighed, deciding it was about time he get going to the inn known as the Leaky Cauldron. As he pulled his trunk after him and left the alley he noticed, as luck would have it that his destination was only a few buildings down from where he stood. It only took him a few minutes to make it to the dodgy looking inn but by that time he was thoroughly soaked. His white hair was plastered to his face and his skin chilled, not that he minded.

When he opened the door and entered into the pub all of the room's occupants turned to stare at the odd new comer. White was not the colour hair you wanted to have when you were trying to be inconspicuous. The man behind the bar stared at him as he approached and Toshiro couldn't help but scowl.

"You step in the way of some jinx kid? Or run into a bottle of bleach by chance?"

If possible his scowl deepened even further, "This is my natural colour."

The man looked him over, "You part albino or something? You're awfully pale too."

Hitsugaya actually considered saying yes. It would have made things so much easier but he couldn't allow himself to do that. Pride could be such a cumbersome thing. So, instead of saying yes he said:

"No I'm not; we don't get a lot of sun where I'm from."

The man nodded, "Thought I heard an accent. I suspect you're that new exchange student all the teachers are excited about?"

Hitsugaya was rather taken aback; why would anyone be excited that he was going to the magic school?

"Is it uncommon to have exchange students at the school?"

The man nodded, "We had one from Durmstrang 'bout a hundred years back but none since then. Better make sure you don't disappoint."

The small taicho answered with a quiet 'Hn' but said nothing else.

"You'll want a room?"

He nodded and when he asked how much it would cost the bar keeper answered in what could have possibly been gibberish.

"Could you repeat that?"

The man told him again, and again he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Look, why don't you just show me your money and I'll pick it out for you."

Toshiro nodded and opened his trunk, hoping that someone had actually had the common sense to give him some of these people's odd currency instead of normal money. Eventually he pulled out a brown sack that appeared to be filled with coins.

The man quickly grabbed a medium sized gold coin, "There; that's enough for two days. By the way," he added "The name's Tom."

"Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied politely as Tom came around and pulled out a stick that he suspected to be a wand. With a flick of his wrist and a mutter of something Toshiro didn't quite catch, the trunk began to levitate above the floor and follow behind the barkeep as he made his way up a set of rickety stairs.

The hallway was lined with doors, odd sounds coming from behind several of them. They stopped in front of room 20 and Tom quickly sent the trunk in and followed after it.

"Meals were included in your payment so just come down when you're hungry," he said as lightening cracked.

Hitsugaya nodded although seeing as his gigai didn't require food he knew it was a luxury he wouldn't be taking advantage of. Gigai's that preformed as a normal body would were extremely expensive and normally reserved for special missions. A simple recon wouldn't warrant one on a normal basis. But considering he was going undercover for ten months, he'd been more than a little peeved when he'd received his fake body. Ten months was a long time to pretend that you just weren't hungry.

The room was simple enough, a rather large window, a western style bed, dresser, and mirror.

"A word of warning seeing as you're not from around here: don't stay out after dark or stray too far."

Lightening flashed across the sky outside illuminating the room and casting Tom's face in an eerie light, "There's a killer on the loose. Sirius Black."

The name seemed to hang in the air and it took a moment for the taicho to realize that the man Tom was speaking of was his reason for being sent to the living world to guard the school. Since he wasn't supposed to be 'from around here' Toshiro feigned ignorance, "Sirius Black..?"

The man looked at him expectantly as if waiting for him to gasp or become frightened. He did neither.

"You've never heard of Sirius Black?"

The white haired teen shook his head.

"He's a murderer he is! He was the right hand man of You Know Who," the barkeeper whispered, as if afraid someone would overhear him.

"Who?"

"You-Know-Who," Tom replied quietly.

"_I_ know Who?"

"No, You-Know-Who."

"I'm sorry… I don't," Toshiro said shaking his head, quickly losing patience with the man's apparent game.

"Don't what?" Tom asked confusedly.

"Know who."

"Who?"

"That's just it I don't know," Hitsugaya said exasperatedly. The man gave him a quizzical look and the taicho sighed,

"You said, 'You Know Who.' But I _don't_ know who you're talking about."

Tom reeled back, "You've never heard of You-Know-Who? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Toshiro shook his head. "I thought everyone knew, even foreign wizards."

Toshiro just shrugged as thunder boomed outside and rain continued to pound the window.

"You see," Tom began quietly as he shut the door with a snap, "'Bout thirteen years back You-Know-Who was taking over. He was the strongest wizard around, except Dumbledore of course. But anyways, he was killing anyone who he thought would try and get in his way and he'd gotten lots of people to follow him to help him take over the wizarding world. They were dark times," The bar keeper whispered sadly.

"But when he decided to go after a family called the Potters, something happened. He killed James Potter and his wife Lily easy enough but, when he went for their son something went wrong. No one knows exactly how but, the killing curse back fired and killed him instead. But," he continued his voice lowering even more so as Hitsugaya had to strain to hear him, "Some people say he didn't _really_ die. That he's still out there somewhere biding his time and growing stronger," Tom finished.

Toshiro stared at him for a moment as the man made no move to leave.

"Thank you for that information...," he tried wondering if the man would take the hint.

Tom nodded, "Just keep safe. Come down when you're hungry."

With that the man disappeared out the door and shut it quietly.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," He grumbled to himself. "Original."

Seeing as he had no need for food, Hitsugaya threw himself down onto the rather large bed. The pounding of the rain began to lull him to sleep, and soon enough he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Hitsugaya awoke to the sounds of birds outside his window. It was rather early he noted but pushed himself off of the bed none the less. The train to Hogwarts left the next day which meant he only had one day to get all of his supplies. He would have to go to a place called Diagon Alley…wherever that was.

The small taicho opened his trunk and realized that Matsumoto had not simply packed him clothes as a seemingly normal person would, she'd packed him outfits. Each was bound by a thin blue ribbon so as not to get them all mixed together.

Hitsugaya sighed, the woman could put together individual outfits with matching belts and with one what appeared to be a tie, but she couldn't take the time to do her paperwork.

Selective laziness, that's what it was.

He pulled out the bundle closest to his right hand and shut the lid with a 'thump'. When he pulled off the blue ribbon and unfolded the clothes he discovered a simple, white long sleeved button down.

It was surprisingly plain for something his subordinate had picked out and he was actually rather pleased with it. A pair of jeans and a black belt were next to be revealed.

The only thing left in the pile was a green vest and a dark coloured jacket that was either a very dark green or brown. Truthfully, he rather liked the outfit even if it was a little thick for that time of the year.

Toshiro pulled off his black polo and slipped his arms through the sleeves of the white shirt. As he went to do up the buttons he realized that _someone_ had carefully stitched up the top three holes making it impossible for him to button the shirt any farther.

"Sneaky woman," he mumbled to himself as he slipped the vest on over his head.

Hitsugaya pulled on a pair of black boots, grabbed the list that been enclosed with his letter and threw his jacket over his arm before shutting the door behind him.

Loud boisterous laughter filtered through the hallway from the bar even though it was early. Everyone looked up at him as the stairs creaked horribly even under his slight weight, alerting them to his presence.

He noticed a rather large family with vivid red hair that could rival Abarai's sitting around a table. Several of the younger ones stared over at him as he walked by not even having the decency to try and hide it.

Tom waved to him as he made his way up to the bar and Toshiro raised a hand in greeting before slipping onto a stool, "I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find Diagon Alley?"

The barkeeper nodded as he jabbed a thumb in the direction behind him, "It's just out the back door."

Hitsugaya sat there for a moment wondering if the man was joking. He hadn't actually believed Diagon Alley to be an _actual_ alley. When Tom didn't break into a smile or begin laughing the small taicho nodded-against his better judgment- and headed out the door.

He pinched the bridge of his nose when he came face to face with a brick wall.

A brick wall. Just _lovely_.

It was too early for such ridiculous antics, not that he thought there ever _was _a time for them.

Hitsugaya stalked back into the bar, the temperature dropping a few degrees as he did. The white haired youth placed his hand firmly on the bar and stared the man straight in the face.

"Look, if this is your idea of a joke I _do not_ find it amusing. I have no time for this, so could you please point me in the direction of Diagon Alley or should I go in search of someone more competent to tell me?"

Tom stared for a moment, realizing there was something off about the kid in front of him. Cold air seemed to swirl around them as the hair on his neck stood on end. He found himself staring into a pair of unforgiving teal eyes and he couldn't help but swallow nervously,

"O-oh, well you see you have t-to um...tap, yeah- tap your wand on the bricks to...," he trailed off seeing the look of frustration deepen on the intimidating youth's face. "W-why don't I just do it for you?"

The kid nodded before stepping back and gesturing for him to lead the way. Tom nervously pulled out his wand and hurried forward, not wanting to get on his bad side. When they reached the brick wall just a few meters from the back door, he carefully tapped the bricks with an unsteady hand. He had to redo it several times because he'd accidentally hit the wrong brick. After repeating the instructions to himself, Tom finally got it right and Diagon Alley slid into view. He looked back to the kid who dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

When the bricks slid back into place and the white haired youth was finally gone, he shakily replaced his wand into his robe pocket and ran a hand through his hair as he mumbled to himself:

"Thank God he's only here for one more night."


	5. A Jinx

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Sorry for the delay with this chapter I got a little caught up in some of my other stories and then I'm moving this week so it's all a little hectic. Thank you to all those who reviewed they really do make my day. Thanks for reading.

PS. It makes me sad but no, I do not own Harry Potter or Bleach.

**EDITED 2011-07-18**

* * *

_Diagon Alley slide into few. He looked back to the kid who dismissed him with a wave of his hand. _

_When the bricks slid back into place and the white haired youth was gone, he shakily replaced his wand into his robe pocked and ran a hand through his hair as he mumbled to himself, _

"_Thank God he's only here for one more night." _

* * *

Toshiro couldn't help but stare at the wonderfully coloured buildings and shops around him. People where bustling about their business, all of them dressed in the oddest clothes. Upon further inspection he found that they weren't all that different from the shinigami uniform, but while it was black and white these people wore the most outrageous colours. While he had never been one to colour coordinate, even he could see these people were either colour blind or just plain insane. Both were highly possible.

The small taicho pulled the list he had received from his pant pocket and quickly read through it again. He'd need several different texts, uniforms, a wand, a cauldron, and apparently if he so chose, an animal. He could only hope that he'd been given enough money to buy everything.

After a bit of searching he discovered a shop by the name of Madame Malkin's that sold the school uniform. And he found that while the shop itself was rather small, Madam Malkin was not. She was a round woman with a short mop of brown hair that was twisted back into a bun.

"First year are you?" she asked as she flicked her wrist and a measuring tape began to rap around his waist.

"Third year actually," he answered as he watched the way that the tape moved on its own.

Madam Malkin stopped for a moment and looked over at him, "_Third _year?"

"Yes," he ground out ground out. "Do you have a problem with that?"

As the woman seemed to notice the cold look in his eyes she quickly averted he gaze, "No, not at all. I just couldn't remember seeing you before. Now, which house are you in?"

The white haired teen vaguely recalled the mentioning of houses in the information he'd received on the school and knew that he was to be sorted upon his arrival.

"I haven't been put into one yet."

The woman stopped in her measuring of the distance between his elbow and his middle finger. "Wait. Are you the new transfer student everyone's all abuzz about?"

Toshiro nodded reluctantly as she went back to his measuring, but now the distance between his shoulders.

"Hm. Funny they'd pick such an odd one."

He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying something equally rude in reply, "Yes. Quite funny."

The woman took note of the measurements she'd jotted down. "Well you might not be a first year but you sure are the size of one. A small one at that."

Hitsugaya growled, "I am a perfectly average size."

Malkin laughed, "You keep telling yourself that."

When he finally made it out of the shop with a pile of new uniforms Toshiro found that he had no desire to ever speak with Malkin again. She was a blunt woman to be sure, and while he could admire that trait in a person, he hadn't appreciated her comments.

Next on his list were his text books that he was to get at Flourish and Blotts that he managed to find easily enough and when he entered the crowded store he couldn't help but relax as the smell of books washed over him. With a quick glance around the shop he made his way up to the main desk where a rather tired man was standing.

"Hello, could—

The man let out a hysterical sort of giggle as he clutched at the wood top of his desk. "A first year I see," he said with a hint of glee. "He won't be needing that _book_," he added, apparently to himself, before breaking out into laughter.

When he showed no signs of stopped Toshiro cleared his throat to catch the man's attention. "Actually, I'll be needing the required third year books."

The hysterical laughter broke off suddenly as the man gazed down at him in a suspicious light. "Third year you say?"

"Yes."

The man swore loudly as he pulled on a thick pair of what appeared to be oven mitts.

"This way," he said sadly. The small taicho was then led off to a _cage _of books.

"Is there a reason that they—

"Just wait," the man said as he opened the cage door and stuck a gloved hand in.

Immediately the books came to life as several clamped onto the intruding limb. Toshiro stared as the clerk continued to try and wrestle a book from the cage. Eventually he pulled his arm from it with a single book clamped onto his elbow.

"Take it!"

Hitsugaya wrenched the book from the arm it was attached to and the man groaned as he stared down at his tattered sleeve.

"That's the third time today. Be careful with that book," he warned. "It'll bite off your fingers given the chance." .

Hitsugaya nodded as he subtly ran his fingers over the sides of the pages, freezing them together.

By the time he reached the desk the man had pulled out a wand and with a flick several thick books came flying. One particularly large one slammed into the back of a red haired boy's head and Toshiro cringed.

That had to hurt.

The boy clutched at his head as he swore loudly. "Bloody hell!"

The shinigami shook his head in amusement as the clerk told him his total. Hitsugaya pulled the bag of money from his jacket pocket and set it on the counter.

"I'm not yet familiar with your currency so if you could please just take the amount from here."

The man nodded and he grabbed several coins before shoving the books towards him across the counter, "I hope you have a good year."

The only things left on his list were a pet, a third year potions set, and a wand. Deciding to put off getting a wand Toshiro headed in the direction of the Apothecary. The trip to the store was anything but pleasant; the reek of different herbs causing his eyes to water and his nose to burn something awful. He finished up his business promptly and fled from the building and back out into the fresh air of Diagon Alley as quickly as he could.

The next on the list was an owl, cat or toad. Really, there was no choice in the matter. He had no need to send letters seeing as he had no one to write to. Why they had a toad on the list was beyond him. Who in there right mind would want one? He had to guess that it was a play on the old stories of witches turning people in to toads.

The taicho headed in the direction of the pet shop he could see towards the other side of the street carrying his bags.

The pet store was surprisingly almost empty but what it was lacking in people it made up for with odd creatures. There were purple rats and something that could have possibly resembled a toad if not for the horns and fuzzy feet.

Hitsugaya ventured further into the shelves and cages until he finally found a litter of normal non-singing, swearing, or colour changing kittens. There were six in the cage but on in particular caught the young taicho's eye.

Its fur was almost the exact same colour as Matsumoto's long tresses. The small thing was curled up asleep in the far corner, completely oblivious to his presence.

"He's a beauty isn't he?"

Toshiro turned to find an older looking brunette smiling at him. "How about I take him out for you?"

"That's not really nece—

"Oh nonsense, here," The woman reached into the cage and carefully plucked the kitten from inside it. Hitsugaya almost dropped the cat when she suddenly shoved it into his arms. The small kitten cracked open a pair of blue eyes to stare mournfully into his own.

"Look, he likes you," the clerk laughed before she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the front desk, "He's on sale too! I'm so glad he's found a home."

"Excuse me," Toshiro tried to interject "But I never said that I'd—

"Don't be silly," the brunette said rather forcefully as she rang up the bill, "He _loves_ you, you love him. People aren't too interested in normal kittens nowadays; I've been struggling to sell the newest lot. I'm happy to hand him off to you."

Before he really knew what'd happened Toshiro was standing outside the pet shop with a kitten in his arms. He turned to stare back through the window where the owner was waving at him still smiling.

"What…just happened?" He wondered aloug as the cat blinked its overlarge eyes innocently.

"Hn. Well regardless, you're going to need a name aren't you?"

Only one came to mind. Auburn fur, blue eyes, and an abundant amount of laziness.

"Ran. From now on that's your name. But you had better be less of a hassle then your namesake… And I'm speaking to a cat," Hitsugaya growled under his breath as he went off in search of a wand shop.

* * *

Toshiro peered behind the counter and into the rows of shelves and boxes as he called out, "Hello?"

"Ah, well this certainly is unexpected."

He turned to see a tall elderly man standing behind him. He was starting to get annoyed by the fact that he couldn't sense these people because of their lack of spiritual energy. But, at least _someone_ hadn't been expecting him.

He stared into a pair of milky eyes that he would've normally expected to be blind.

"I'm here to purchase a wand." _Obviously._

The man smiled and lines spread like cracks across his thin looking skin, "Well you have come to the right place. Hold out your wand arm."

Toshiro was confused but held out his right arm seeing as it was his dominant hand.

"Let me see," the man hummed as he disappeared into the shelves.

Toshiro set Ran carefully down onto the counter and brushed some stray fur from his jacket. The man he could only guess to be Olivander reappeared several moments later with a long, thin box in hand.

"Here you are," he said as he slipped off the lid and held out what appeared to be a stick. Hitsugaya took the piece of wood from him wondering exactly what it was he was supposed to be doing.

"Well go on, give it a wave!"

The young taicho hesitantly waved the wand feeling foolish as he did. There was a crash as all of the glass in the windows broke and shards were sent flying. The elderly man stared at them in dismay before quickly grabbing the wand back.

"I'm sorry do you—

"Not to worry I'll repair them later, but we can definitely say this wand is not for you."

After replacing the wand in the box the man once again disappeared only to reappear with another, "Cherry twelve inches with phoenix core.

Toshiro carefully took the wand and gave it a small wave. They both stood there as nothing what so ever happened.

Hitsugaya sighed in relief, "Well that wasn—

There was a rumble of thunder as storm clouds suddenly appeared. There was a flash of lightening and rain began to pour, quickly drenching them. Olivander pulled out his own wand and with a flick of his wrist the clouds were gone. Ran hissed and spat as he tried to shake the water from his fur.

Toshiro rung out his shirt, "Well I take it that wasn't the one either."

The elderly man took the wand back and replaced it.

"I have an idea," he murmured as he disappeared back amongst the shelves. He reappeared rather quickly, "Yew, 12 inches, dragon heart string."

Hitsugaya was reluctant to take the piece of wood but did so anyway. As his skin came into contact with it a chill went up his spine and the walls slowly began to frost around them

"Well," Olivander smiled as his breath came in swirls of white, "A wand has finally chosen you."

Toshiro nodded as he stared down at the brown, almost grey wood. The handle had a silvery blue pattern the twisted and swirled around it and it somehow felt right in his hand.

It was a feeling similar, if not weaker to how it felt that Hyorinmaru belonged in his hand.

"Thank you for your assistance Mr. Olivander," he said respectfully as he handed his bag of coins over to the man.

Olivander smiled as he took two, "You're quite welcome my dear boy."

The white haired youth packed away his wand and carefully picked up the shivering Ran before heading for the door, "My apologies once again for the windows."

* * *

Olivander stared after the white haired boy as he disappeared out into the crowd of Diagon Alley. The walls were still frosted over and shards of glass were strewn across the floor and shelves. Something had been off about the child and he had a vague idea as to what. He pulled a piece of parchment from under the counter and began writing,

_Dear Dumbledore…_

* * *

Hitsugaya sighed as he finally returned to the Leaky Cauldron. He would never understand how Matsumoto could love shopping as much as she did. It only gave him a migraine.

He set down his bags along with Ran on one of the only free tables as he rubbed his temples. The loud and bustling room wasn't helping his head and for some reason there was a large group of red heads yelling along with two brunettes.

Something about...scabs?

He closed his eyes as he tried to ease his aching head. He'd always been prone to migraines and severe headaches in the heat but normally Hyorinmaru would help to ease the pain. He opened his eyes just in time to get a glimpse of the red blur that suddenly knocked him over. Toshiro growled as he lay on his back on the dirty floor, the air being squeezed from his lungs due to the boy on top of him.

"RONALD," a plump red headed woman yelled as she ran up. "Get off of the poor boy you're squishing him!"

"Ron, you've gotta watch where you're going," a brunette with bright green eyes commented as Ron got up. Toshiro stood and brushed the dirt from his pants. When he finally looked up he was greeted by the surprised faces of the red head's companions.

"Bloody hell...your hair!" Everyone continued to gawk. "It-it's white!"

"Yes I'm aware," he replied calmly.

The woman, clearly Ron's mother stepped forward albeit slightly hesitantly, "I'm very sorry for my son. He can be very clumsy."

Toshiro nodded, "It's alright. I should have seen him coming."

The woman smiled. "Well, I'm Molly Weasley and this is my son Ron and his friends Harry and Hermione," She said gesturing towards the green eyed teen and a bushy haired girl. Hitsugaya nodded as he went to pick up his bags.

"Oh wait dear, why don't you join us for dinner?"

He turned around to face her, "No thank you, I don't thin—

"No, no I insist," she said as she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards their table, "You're all skin and bones," she grunted before giving his arm a squeeze. "I think you're thinner than Harry!"

Toshiro scowled as she pushed him down into a chair and a balding man sitting at the end of the table looked up from his paper, "Why hello. And who might you be?"

The ice wielder sighed, "Toshiro Hitsugaya."

* * *

Harry stared at the new comer, named Toshiro Hitsugaya. He had never met someone with white hair before. It was just as pure as the fresh fallen snow, making him a startling contrast to the Weasley's signature red. The small boy's eyes were a deep teal that was almost unnatural. Harry had met a great deal of people in his life, but none of them had ever had eyes like Hitsugaya did. With his eyes and his hair he just an unnatural looking sort of person…but there was something else. Harry couldn't quite place his finger on it, but it made him want to get away from him. He could tell the others could feel it too, although Mrs. Weasley was trying her best to hide it.

Harry was dragged from his thoughts by the twins coming noisily over to the table. They both stopped short as they spotted the new comer, giving him a quick once over before they began their normal routine.

"And who," George started with a mighty grin on his face that promised mischief and disaster.

"Might this be," Fred finished.

Ron was the first to pipe up, "I kinda' ran into the bloke. His name's Toeshero Hitsuegooyeah."

Harry almost choked at the pronunciation and he could tell Toshiro had just bitten his tongue.

Hermione held her head in her hands, having the decency to look embarrassed for her friend as she sighed loudly, "its Toshiro Hitsugaya!"

Harry glared at Ron as his friend turned beet red. Hermione looked up as the twins sat down and greeted the white haired youth, "Is it me, or did it just get colder in here?"

Harry realized she was right. There was a sudden chill in the air despite the summer heat that was seeping in through the open windows, "Yeah, that's weird."

But what was even weirder was the fact that the chill seemed to be coming from Toshiro Hitsugaya. His teal eyes filled with anger, seemed to almost be glowing in the darkened pub. Harry could have sworn he felt the chilly air rolling off of the pale skin.

Mrs. Weasley set a large platter of food down in the center of the table and it seemed to snap the white haired youth from his thoughts as the cold suddenly abated.

Harry continued to stare as Toshiro politely, then frustratedly refused the plates of food that were set in front of him.

"So Toshiro," Mr. Weasley called from his end of the table as he set down his fork.

"Please call me Hitsugaya," the small boy said shortly, with a hint of impatience.

Mr. Weasley continued, "I take it you're attending Hogwarts this year?"

Toshiro nodded.

"Are you excited?"

"Yes, _very_."

Harry could hear the sarcasm in the boy's tone but Mr. Weasley either chose to ignore it or didn't pick up on it at all.

"Well how about you head over to the train with us hm?"

Harry thought that Hitsugaya would refuse but surprisingly after a moment he agreed and Mr. Weasley beamed.

"Splendid. Now eat up! I assure you Molly's cooking is the best I've ever had."

The boy shook his head, "I'm actually not hungry at the moment, but thank you."

"Y-you should try it," Ron said rather hesitantly as if trying to get back on Toshiro's good side. He didn't seem to be the type of guy whose bad books you wanted to be in. "It really is good. Mum's is the best."

The white haired boy glared, clearly not having forgiven him for the butchering of his name, "I am not hungry."

"So um Hitsugaya," Hermione said before taking sip of her pumpkin juice. "Where are you from? Because of your name and accent I'd say Japan correct? But you don't appear to be of Japanese decent."

* * *

Toshiro sighed; all he'd wanted was a quiet night up in his room alone. But, it appeared it just wasn't in the cards.

"Yes, I'm from Japan originally but my mother wasn't Japanese."

"Well when did you move? You seem to be fluent in English."

"My family has been traveling since I was young, so I've had to learn several languages over the years."

Hermione frowned, "Why do they move so much? It can't be easy to make friends when you never stay in the same place for long."

"My father is in the military, and I've fared well enough."

Not many people knew this about him, but Toshiro enjoyed a good lie. Not one that could possibly hurt someone but the type that he could weave flawlessly to make strangers believe anything about him. He could be an entirely different person.

"So where have you lived so far?" the one named Harry asked. He'd actually found the teen to be rather annoying although he hadn't said a word to him. Toshiro found it irritating to have those green eyes staring at his every move, watching him constantly.

"Too many places to name."

Hermione looked at him fascinated, "So you can speak other languages than Japanese and English?" He nodded. "Really? Oh I've always been interested in foreign languages. What else can you speak?"

Toshiro thought for a moment, "French, Russian, Dutch, German, Polish, Danish, Italian, Spanish and Chinese."

She gaped at him, "Really?"

He nodded. Shinigami were required to be able to speak several languages because they were dispatched all over the world. As it turned out souls didn't take too kindly to sword wielding, robe wearing people trying to hit them on the head with the hilt of their blade while speaking gibberish. People had been traumatized, Shinigami and souls alike before it had been made mandatory.

Yet another plate of food, this time full of small sandwiches was placed in front of him as the young taicho sighed. This type of gigai would not allow him to eat even if he wanted to. If he did it could have severe after affects due to an energy overload.

He called out of his thoughts by Hermione's voice. He actually didn't mind the girl although she was a little too curious for his liking, "So how long have you been in London?"

"I just arrived the other day."

She smiled, "And is it to your liking?"

Toshiro shrugged, "I haven't really had time with picking up my supplies. I suppose I'll wait until the end of the school year to actually explore the area."

He looked over to see the Potter kid once again staring at him unabashedly. He stood up making sure to pick up Ran from his lap, hoping to leave before his annoyance got the better of him.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll head up to my room."

Mrs. Weasley continued to fret, "But dear you haven't eaten anything!"

He gazed steadily into her eyes and she instantly backed down. Her husband looked up, "Shall we wake you in the morning so we can all head to the train?"

He shook his head, "I will wake on my own, but I shall accompany you to the station."

* * *

With that last remark the white haired boy made his way up the stairs with his bags and kitten in hand.

Harry stared after, "You know, he doesn't act like an eleven year old."

Hermione looked over, "I liked him. He's an interesting person to speak with."

Ron looked incredulous, "What the hell are you talking about 'Mione? He's a bloody jinx! Didn't you look at him! His hair and skin and eyes too!"

Mrs. Weasley decided to interject, "_Ronald Weasley_ you will not say such things! He was a perfectly nice boy. A little quiet maybe, but he was just shy! You _will_ be nice to him. He must have a hard time making friends with his moving all the time. The way most children act towards someone who's even slightly different is appalling, and I expect better from my own children."

Ron nodded sullenly before sighing, "If he wants to make friends he should try being nicer."

Hermione frowned, "Well he hasn't had the chance to really socialize with anyone. I would bet he only really speaks with adults by the way he talks."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "I don't like how thin he is. I wonder if his parents don't feed him right."

Her husband stepped in, "Now Molly we can't go jumping to conclusions. But, if you really feel that way we can keep an eye on him. I'm sure Hermione wouldn't mind looking after him at school would you dear?"

The teen shook her head, "I wouldn't mind at all, it'll give me a chance to get to know him better."

"There see," the older man smiled, "Hermione has the right idea! Now, come on, everyone up to bed! We have an early start tomorrow."

The group nodded as they stood and tucked in their chairs. Harry didn't like the idea of Hermione hanging around with Hitsugaya alone. He sighed as he realized he would have to join her in her welcoming of the new kid. But, it was still a good opportunity.

A chance to unravel the mystery known as Toshiro Hitsugaya.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Well this chapter took longer to write than I had anticipated. People were complaining that it wasn't moving along fast enough so I decided to combine what I had planned to be two different chapters into one. Well happy late Valentine's Day to you all!

Next chapter will be up after I update my other story.

Yours truly,

ForeverFalling.


	6. Being Serious

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! I would like to thank all those who reviewed, I really do love them. So, now that the story is starting to really cross into the Prisoner of Azkaban I'd just like to say not everything will match up. I'm not going to be following the book to a t. Especially, right now sense I've misplaced my copy...

PS. I always forget the disclaimer, seriously. So in a lot of cases I wind up doing this:

**I DO NOT AND WILL NOT OWN BLEACH OR HARRY POTTER FOR THE NEXT TWENTY OR SO CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY.**

**EDITED 2011-08-01**

* * *

_Harry didn't like the idea of Hermione hanging around with Hitsugaya alone. He sighed as he realized he would have to join her in her welcoming of the new kid. But, it was still a good opportunity. _

_A chance to unravel the mystery known as Toshiro Hitsugaya_.

* * *

He woke early in the morning as the sun was just making its way over the horizon. The small taicho stretched out his arms and legs before crawling from the too large bed. He gave a small yawn before heading over to his trunk and pulling out one of the outfits Matsumoto hack packed for him.

Today it was a long navy, almost black shirt with a white t-shirt to go on top along with a pair of jeans; much simpler than yesterday's outfit at least.

As he slipped on a pair of non-descript runners he heard a small mew come from the bed. The snowy youth turned around to find Ran trying to battle his way from between the covers. He sighed as he took pity on the small creature and scooped it into his arms.

"You're more trouble than you're worth."

The kitten just stared up at him with mournful blue eyes. Toshiro set Ran down on the floor before going about gathering his things and placing them into his trunk. Now that he had all of his supplies the once seemingly too large luggage was now bordering on too small.

The taicho slammed the lid down in hopes of getting it shut. When that failed he quickly sat on it yet even his weight was not enough to force the lid to meet the clasp. Hitsugaya growled, frustrated as there was a knock at the door.

"Toshiro, Mrs. Weasley asked me to make sure you were up and ready."

He recognized the voice of Hermione Granger coming from the hallway and sighed, "I'm almost ready, I'll be out in a moment."

The door opened a crack, "Do you need help with anything?"

When the bushy haired teen saw him sitting on his still open trunk she smiled, "Here I'll give you a hand with that."

He thought about sending her away, but really he was quite clearly fighting a losing battle so the taicho slid over and made way for the girl. She sat down quickly on the trunk, easily forcing it closed before doing the clasp.

"There you are," she smiled again as she got off of the luggage "Well we'd better make our way down stairs otherwise we'll be late for the train."

Hitsugaya gave a small 'hn' as he picked up Ran and grabbed his trunk before he began dragging it after him.

The girl gave him a quizzical look, "I'm sure Mr. or Mrs. Weasley would be happy to charm your trunk for you. It would be a lot easier then dragging it down the stairs."

Toshiro glared at her, "Why use magic when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself?"

Hermione gave him an odd look but she only nodded and continued downstairs without him. Hitsugaya sighed as he stared down at his trunk and then to the long staircase.

* * *

Harry yawned as Hermione came hurrying down the stairs. Ron glanced over at her, "What's with you?"

She shook her head as she sat down beside them, "Nothing, Toshiro's coming down now. He's just lugging his trunk."

The red head quirked an eyebrow, "He knows mum would spell it for him right?"

"That's just it," she said, throwing her hands in the air. "I suggested that and he looked at me like I was insane. I don't know how he was brought up but he doesn't seem to want to depend on magic."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah well, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to want to do things the normal way once in a while but it sounds like he's just being stubborn."

His friends looked at him.

"Sounds like someone we know," Ron grumbled as he laid his head on the table. The brunet narrowed his eyes at his best friend but decided to let it go.

There was a loud bang from the stairs and they all looked over to find a trunk lying at the bottom of them and a tired looking Hitsugaya standing beside it. Harry continued to stare as the youth straightened himself before grabbing the trunk that was almost twice his size and dragging it behind him as he made his way over to an empty table.

The scarred teen thought it odd that the boy wouldn't sit with them and contemplated calling him over but decided against it, "Hermione, I still say there's something off about him."

She frowned slightly but didn't out right deny it like the previous night. "We don't really know much about him. It could all be because of the way he was brought up. Magic tends to make wizards lazy; maybe his parents are trying to encourage him to do things by hand instead."

He sighed, "I'm not just talking about that. Can't you feel it? There's something _wrong _with him."

She glanced over her shoulder in the white haired boy's direction. "I still say we should give him a chance, you don't need to be friends with him if you don't want. But be nice at least, first years are already intimidated when they arrive at Hogwarts, we don't need to add to that. Besides," she sniffed. "Even if he is an odd boy, he's still really interesting."

Mr. Weasley then walked over before leaning onto a free chair, "Harry, a word if you please?"

Harry stared for a moment, surprised by the request, "Uh, yeah sure Mr. Weasley."

* * *

Hitsugaya watched as Mr. Weasley brought the Potter boy aside. He could vaguely make out what he was saying, something about not looking for trouble and staying safe.

The taicho had to wonder if the man's pleas had anything to do with the presence of the Dementors at Hogwarts. While the Potter child seemed rather cocky, even arrogant at points he didn't seem to be the type to go _looking_ for trouble. But then again, he'd only met him the previous evening and by the sounds of it Weasley had known him for a couple of years. He ran a hand through his white locks as he tried to make out exactly what was being said without looking too conspicuous.

Something about being serious?

No. They were speaking about Sirius Black, the man the Dementors were searching for. Avoiding him was quite obvious really considering all of the warning signs posted around Diagon Alley, not anything that should have been directed solely towards Potter; all of the children should be hearing this speech if anything.

Yet they weren't which meant there was something going on with Potter and Black, something that warranted a private warning. Toshiro frowned as he thought this. Nowhere in his information had it said anything about a connection between Black and one of the students. The question was: what was it and how could he find out?

All communication between Soul Society and him had been cut off due to the magic in the air interfering with his communicator so they couldn't find out for him and relay the information.

It all added up to one thing: he'd have to find out on his own.

Hitsugaya sighed as Mr. Weasley gave Potter's shoulder a pat and they rejoined the group, Harry looking rather perplexed.

"Oh Toshiro dear," Mrs. Weasley called as he cringed. He'd known her for one night and yet she was under the misguided conception that she was allowed to call him by his first name. Well, at least it wasn't Shiro-chan.

"Have you already eaten?"

He nodded in response barely acknowledging the lie. "Oh good," she smiled as she quickly brushed his bangs from his eyes. "Well then we're going to get going as soon as the others have had something alright?"

He tried to force a smile but all that came was a small grimace of sorts, "Yes, thank you again for everything Mrs. Weasley."

The kindly woman smiled as she straightened her skirt, "It's nothing dear, now come and join us hm?"

Hitsugaya nodded absentmindedly as he scooped up Ran who he had placed in his lap, before following after her. He could at least act agreeable seeing as the woman was being so helpful, if not slightly annoying.

Toshiro sat down across from one of Mrs. Weasley's boys, Ron if he recalled correctly who looked half asleep. Potter glanced over at him from under his bangs and he suddenly felt that they had been talking about him. Not that he could really blame them; after all he still got those types of looks back in Soul Society. Even after all of his decades as taicho of the tenth division some were still unwilling to accept him. They thought him too young to take on the type of responsibility that came with the captaincy.

If anyone asked he would deny it, but part of the reason the snowy youth worked as hard as he did was to prove to all of those people that he was up for the challenge. If gaining their respect, to be seen as their equal despite his age meant working until he fell asleep at his desk, writing until he had blisters, and training until his hands bled and limbs seized up he would do it and more.

As Potter continued to stare— make that glare at him, Toshiro began to lose his patience. The summer heat was already getting to him and he didn't need some child trying to pick a fight, "Can I help you with something," he asked clearly catching the boy off guard.

Apparently Harry hadn't realized that his staring was as obvious as the fact that the sky was blue.

"Oh- uh nothing, sorry. Just thinking."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend but otherwise ignored his _mentally stimulating_ answer, "Toshiro would you like some of my eggs? I'm full."

Mrs. Weasley once again popped up from behind the taicho seemingly from nowhere, "Toshiro already ate dear."

He grimaced at the use of his name;_ really_ he'd only met these people the day before. There was also the lovely fact that the way they were pronouncing his name made it sound like tosh-hero. At this rate he was going to have a migraine by nine.

Hermione frowned as her eyes slid from Mrs. Weasley to Hitsugaya, "But you couldn't have eaten yet, you just came downstairs with me."

"Oh, I had a...," the taicho tried to think of something Kurosaki had eaten around him or even mentioned. "Granal bar."

Harry stared at him, "You mean a granola bar?"

Hitsugaya thought for a moment; either he was saying it wrong (highly possible) or they were two completely different things, "...Yes?"

He could always pass it off as a slip in his English if need be. Hermione smiled, "It's alright, you're bound to make a mistake every once in a while." He nodded forcing a small smile. "But it's just as well you already ate because I'm afraid by the looks of it we might be late for the train."

Mrs. Weasley glanced at a large lock mounted on the wall over the bar, "Oh my stars, Hermione's right. Come on! Come on all of you! If we don't hurry you're going to miss the train!"

Hitsugaya stood Ran in hand, heading to grab his trunk before he was practically carried away from the table by a hurrying Mr. Weasley, "Come on Toshiro, we've got to hurry now. Molly will make sure we have your trunk."

The small taicho huffed indignantly as he was set down outside in the midst of the summer heat. The _nerve_ of some people. It was then that he noticed everyone was piling into a car.

All eight of them...into _one_ car.

Mrs. Weasley was now shoving his luggage into the trunk, "Hurry dear," she called over to him "Get in before we're late."

Hitsugaya hesitantly stepped closer to the automobile and glanced inside. Somehow the interior had almost double the area of a normal car. He slid onto one of the seats finding himself sitting beside Ginny who looked half asleep as her head drooped only to snap back up again.

He sighed as the car took off in the direction of where he supposed the train station was, it was going to be a long day.


	7. Walking Through Walls

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. So, now that it's March Break I finally have time to get all of my chapters posted and not have to worry about neglecting school work! Thank you to all those who reviewed, it really means a lot to me to read them in all sincerity.

**Edit: 1.04.10 Caught some errors that needed to be fixed up. **

* * *

_He sighed as the car took off in the direction of where he supposed the train station was. It was going to be a long day._

* * *

Hitsugaya let his gaze wander the station as he was so graciously dragged through it. People stared as they past, and really it was no wonder considering they were totting around several owls, a kitten and a white haired youth.

The small taicho looked up to Mr. Weasley who had grabbed his arm upon his exit from the car -despite his protests- and was guiding (dragging) him through the crowds, "Mr. Weasley, where exactly are we headed?"

The balding man spared him a small smile as he shoved past a rather large woman, "Platform nine and three quarters; that's where the train that will take you to Hogwarts will be."

Hitsugaya frowned, he'd heard the platform's number mentioned in passing several times throughout the morning and if he hadn't have been busy being squished by Ginny Weasley he might have paid more attention.

But, from what he knew of the living world people tended to only use whole numbers, never fractions when numbering things. Plus according to the arrivals and departures board they had passed in the main entrance there was no platform nine and three quarters.

Ran gave a small mew from place cradled against Toshiro's chest by his free arm. Mr. Weasley suddenly lurched to a halt and he found himself facing a brick wall. He was about to inquire why exactly, if they were in such a dire hurry that his arm was almost dislocated several times, that they were now staring at a wall as the seconds ticked away, but it was then that Toshiro could suddenly sense something emanating from the wall.

It was like an odd inkling in the back of his mind, something tell him that there was something off about the wall. The feeling was accompanied by the ever present buzzing in the back of his head that he'd come to associate with magic which all in all was doing nothing to soothe the growing ache in his temples.

It was Potter who was the first one to break away from the pack as he began towards the wall before picking up speed, the trolley screeching in protest. Hitsugaya looked around finding it quite odd that none of the non-magical people noticed the teen running wildly towards the wall.

He continued watching, and when it seemed that the crash was unavoidable, the odd feeling seemed to increase and suddenly Potter simply slipped into the bricks. The small taicho once again looked about, realizing no one had noticed a teen along with a trolley and an owl run into and through a wall.

_Really_. How unobservant could these people _be_?

Every time one of the Weasley children slipped through what Toshiro realized was a barrier of sorts, the odd feeling would increase and then dissipate slightly. The buzzing was slowly ebbing and returning as well. It reminded him of how whispers would slip through an open door before it closed again only to cut off all sound.

It must have been the magic in the air and clearly there was a vast amount considering how strongly he was sensing it. The twins began making their way through the wall and soon he was only left with Mr. Weasley, "Well come along Toshiro, we'd better go on through."

The white haired youth nodded but refused to run like an imbecile and instead walked calmly towards the barrier. The others could make fools out of themselves if they wished; he on the other hand would not.

He glanced back before stepping through the barrier and still no one turned to stare at the two freaks trying to walk through a wall.

What was the world coming to?

The buzzing in his head increased again as did the odd feeling when he stepped through the barrier and onto another platform. The area was filled with children and parents bidding each other farewell, and a large scarlet train was waiting for everyone to finishing boarding before leaving the station.

Mr. Weasley guided him towards where his wife and children were standing and Toshiro was happy to see that Mrs. Weasley still had his trunk intact as she loaded onto the train.

When she noticed them heading towards her she waved them over, "Quickly you two, the trains about to leave!"

Hitsugaya couldn't restrain a growl as Mr. Weasley almost lifted him off his feet and ran towards his wife. Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a hug as they reached her.

"Take care dear," she said before Mr. Weasley hoisted him onto the train.

Toshiro ground his teeth together as he forced a smile. These people were so incredibly annoying, but there hearts were in the right place,

"I will Mrs. Weasley, you too."

The door slid shut of its own accord as the train began pulling out from the station and slowly began to gain speed. Hitsugaya stared out the window as he watched the dots that were now the Weasleys turn into specks before they were gone from his sight.

Their children took them for granted, not many people had loving parents like they did. The type of parents who would do anything to protect their children. Seeing people happily living instead of dying or being eaten by Hollows was refreshing to say the least.

--

It took a while but Hitsugaya finally found an empty compartment. He had no desire what so ever to sit with the Potter boy and his little friends. He already had a headache; he didn't need it getting any worse.

He thought about attempting to hoist his trunk onto the luggage rack but quickly dismissed the idea. His arms were sore from dragging the thing already and he highly doubted his gigai would have the strength to lift it.

Leaving the trunk by the compartment door he settled in for the long haul. He had no idea how long the trip would be but he'd heard Ron mention the food trolley on the drive over to the station so it was long enough for people to get hungry.

He set Ran down on the seat beside him and he quickly curled up against his thigh.

Harry sighed as he stared out of the window he was sitting next to. As he happened to glance across from him he noticed a large frown adorning Hermione's face as she sat beside a sleeping man who she had identified as Professor R. J. Lupin, "What's the matter?"

The girl looked up rather startled, "Oh, I was just wondering where Toshiro had gotten to. I guess he didn't want to sit with us."

Ron rolled his eyes, "I'm not complaining. I'm telling you 'Mione he's a jinx. Maybe it's different with Muggles but in the wizarding world people who look like him are really bad luck."

"Ron that has to be the most ignorant—

"Sh," Harry cut her off as he noticed the sleeping Professor stirring.

She clapped a hand over her mouth as they all stared waiting for the man to either wake or settle back down. In the end Lupin shifted in his seat a little before falling back into a deep sleep.

"Hermione, quietly please."

She nodded as she scooted further away from their new teacher.

"Anyway," she continued in hushed tones, "Ron he is not a jinx and I would appreciate it if you would stop calling him one," She huffed.

"I've read about jinxes before and although he _might _share some commonalities with the wizarding world's depiction of one that is all simply rubbish and he is nothing more then a quiet boy with a fare complexion and an interesting hair and eye colour. You of all people should know that people don't appreciate being picked on for their colouring."

The red head scowled, "Leave my hair out of this!"

She glared back at him, "I will once you promise to stop picking on him! I'll have you know I know some pretty interesting red head jokes, hilarious even!"

"You wouldn't!"

Harry smiled as his friends continued to bicker quietly. He glanced out of the rain streaked window realizing Black was out there somewhere. He had no idea why Mr. Weasley had felt he needed a warning about looking for the murdered.

Sure, he got into his fair share of trouble-maybe more- but that didn't mean he was going to go gallivanting off in search of a killer.

A while after Hermione and Ron had quieted down the trolley came around and they all picked out their food and ate it rather quickly. Ron had asked if they should wake the professor up but they decided against it; better to let him sleep (it looked like he needed it).

Harry sighed as he set aside his chocolate frog card –yet another Dumbledore- and sat back in his seat with a yawn. The sun had set and the lamps along the walkways and in the compartments had lit of their own accord basking them in their warm glow.

But suddenly they all went out as the train came to a lurching halt. Ron was thrown from his seat and into Harry's lap before they both tumbled to the floor.

"RON!"

"...I'm Sorry Harry."

"Yeah well, don't just sit there apologizing; get off!"

When the weight of his friend had left his stomach Harry carefully got up from the floor, "Are you alright Hermione?"

"Y-yes," came her reply through the darkness.

The scarred boy ran a hand through his hair, "I think we've broken down."

As his eyes began to adjust to the light he could make out Hermione nodding.

"Uh...guys?"

They both turned to look at Ron who was staring out of the window as frost slowly crept up the glass, "I-I think s-something's out there!"

Harry joined his best friend and placed a hand to the cold window, his breath beginning to come in wisps of white. "I don't see anything Ron."

The red haired teen shook his head, "N-no Harry I swear something was out there!"

Hermione stood between the two of them, "Well then where did it go?"

Her eyes widened as the compartment door began to slide open and the temperature dropped several more degrees. A skeletal hand appeared through the darkness.

"B-Bloody hell."

* * *

Toshiro growled as he picked himself and Ran up from the floor. Something was wrong. The kitten's fur was standing on end and Hitsugaya noticed the windows frosting over and suddenly his breath was visible.

The cold was nothing to him but clearly something was happening on board the train. The taicho growled as he wrestled open his trunk and dug through the contents until he found what he was looking for.

He pulled a gikongan from the trunk and popped the candy into his mouth. Hitsugaya couldn't help but smile as he was freed from him gigai. The faux bodies always felt so constricting and slow.

Now that he was in soul form the small taicho could clearly sense a dark energy similar to that of a Hollow coming from a couple dozen compartments down.

He turned to the mod soul occupying his gigai, "Stay here and if anyone comes in tell them to leave.

The mod soul nodded as he turned and threw the door open, rushing down the walkway.

He skidded to a stop as he realized something was happening. It was becoming hard to draw breath and numbness was creeping into his limbs. The headache that had been plaguing him all day suddenly became a crushing migraine as disjointed images flashed before his eyes.

Dying comrades, screaming people, blood, so much blood.

He weakly unsheathed Hyorinmaru hoping to find strength in his partner. With a shuttering breath Hitsugaya slowly crept towards the open door of the compartment he arrived just in time to see a ruffled looking man pointing a wand at a hooded creature that was standing over Potter.

The man shouted a spell he couldn't quiet make out through the ringing in his ears. As a silver blur sped towards the figure it turned towards him as if sensing his presence. As it drew a deep breath it was as if it was stealing the air from his lungs.

The pressure in his head was almost unbearable and the ringing was getting louder. Suddenly the silver burst of light collided with the thing he now knew to be a Dementor.

It drew away as if burned by the light and flew off from him and Potter's friends. As it disappeared into the shadows the ringing began to fade and it was as if his ears had been unblocked.

"Damn," he cursed as he leaned against the wall for support, the feeling returning to his numb limbs. Really, he should have realized it before. Dementors fed off of souls. _He_ was a soul. It wasn't the best idea to be in the same room as one of those creatures unless he had a death wish.

The mission had just gotten a whole lot harder. Destroying them would be easy enough, at least in theory. But, if his energy was absorbed and he was slowly eaten his chances of winning would be reduced greatly. The Ministry had dispatched about a hundred Dementors and he had almost passed out about because of _one_.

Someone really hated him.

---

Toshiro sighed as he re-sheathed Hyorinmaru and peered into the compartment. Potter was passed out on the floor and Weasley was yelling at him to wake up. The haggard looking man was clearly capable of handling matters so he began making his way back to where he'd left his gigai.

The lights flicked back to life and the train began to slowly gain speed again. He found his gigai leaning against the window fast asleep and couldn't help but roll his eyes before slipping back into it.

He could faintly see the outline of a castle and the glow from hundreds of windows on the horizon and decided it was about time he change into his uniform.

He grimaced as he grabbed the articles of clothing from his trunk. Unlike his normal uniform the fabric was stiff and the cut of it would surely hinder his movements. People made cracks about the Shinigami uniform being boring and bland but at least it was practical.

The train began to slow again as he adjusted his tie and smoothed out the wrinkles in his pants, tucking his old pants back into his trunk before forcing it shut. He opened the door to find students flooding out from their compartments, and seeing that none of them had their trunks he decided to leave his where it was.

He easily scooped up Ran who had been dozing on his discarded shirt and joined in with the others, not feeling comfortable with leaving the kitten behind. The taicho could hear and feel the brakes as the train came to a complete stop and the doors opened onto the large platform.

Apparently leaving the train in an orderly fashion was too much for the teens so he was shoved, pushed and tripped repeatedly.

As he finally made it to the platform with an all together more ruffled appearance Hitsugaya saw a man whose size easily surpassed Zaraki's.

"First years," echoed a booming voice through the crowds and he wondered if he should follow the man seeing as technically it was his first year. The ice wielder steeled himself before walking over to the giant,

"Excuse me, I was wondering where I should be going?"

The bearded man stared down at him, "And who might you be?"

"Toshiro Hitsugaya, I'm the new transfer student."

The man's eyes widened, "Oh yes, Dumbledore was sayin' we were gettin' a transfer this year."(1)

"Yes, well I was wondering if I should go with you or head to the castle with the other students."

The man thought for a moment, "Well I guess you're suppose' to come with me. Rubeus Hagrid by the way. Keeper of keys and grounds for Hogwarts."

Hitsugaya nodded as he was led towards a lake where dozens of boats were waiting, "Pleased to meet you."

The taicho could see Hagrid appraising him with a curious eye as they stepped into one of the boats. As Toshiro sat down he shifted over for the large man to sit in the middle, knowing that if the giant sat on the end the boat would surely tip.

The boats around them began to fill and Toshiro's temper was beginning to get the better of him as Hagrid continued to stare. Students began to shiver as the temperature dropped several degrees,

"Look, can you please stop with your incessant staring?!"

The man looked startled as if surprised he had been caught, "Oh, uh well..."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and growled, "I'm listening."

Hagrid looked down at his hands, "It's just that you're hair and eyes, well they're a little different then one would expect for these parts. Jus' curious."

"I'm a _transfer_ student. _Clearly_ I'm not from 'these parts'."

Hagrid nodded, "Yeah, that's true enough. Sorry if my starin' was botherin' you."

Toshiro nodded, "Its fine. I've been getting it for years, its nothing new."

Hagrid gave him a sad smile, "It's hard when people stare at you 'cause of the way ya' look."

Toshiro looked up and turned to stare into the man's eyes and was surprised to find understanding rather than pity, "It must be hard for you as well," He started. "I suppose your size isn't normal for 'these parts' either."

Hagrid sighed, "No, can't say it is. But I put up with it."

The white haired youth gave him a smile -if a very small one-, "That's about all we can do."

---

The rest of the ride to the castle was filled with a comfortable silence. Two outcasts sitting together, each knowing what the other had been through.

After Hagrid had tied down the boat to the dock Toshiro began following him up the pathway to the castle. He couldn't help but resent the fact that some (most) of the eleven year olds were taller than him.

The walk left the other students breathless as they climbed the steep hill towards two large oaken doors. Everyone seemed rather jittery and nervous, some were even shaking and it had nothing to do with the cold winds that were blowing off the water.

Hagrid went ahead of them and easily pushed the doors open as he called for them to hurry along. Students glanced around as they made their way up a stone staircase to be met by yet another door.

A rather strict looking woman was waiting for them as she held a three legged stool and a tattered old hat with a scroll stuffed into it.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she started as she cast her gaze over everyone.

"I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor. In a moment the sorting will begin and you will all be put into your houses. Your house mates will be like your family for the next seven years. You will work together to gain house points and share in both victories and defeats. Now, when it is your turn to be sorted I will call your name and you will calmly walk up, sit down and place the sorting hat on your head. Any questions?"

Toshiro looked around noticing that either people were too nervous to ask, or everything was quite clear to them.

She nodded, "Alright now before we get started I would like to have a word with Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The small taicho instantly felt some respect for the woman. Anyone who didn't butcher his name deserved it.

As he stepped forth the woman gave him a once over before nodding, "Follow me."

He followed her down the hallway and into a small room off to the side.

She shut the door with a snap, "Now Mr. Hitsugaya you are the first transfer student we have had in many, many years."

He nodded having heard this before from Tom.

"So," she continued as she fixed him with a stern look, "We, the teachers of Hogwarts as well as the Ministry, who approved your transfer are expecting you to be on your best behavior."

Toshiro gave him a solemn nod, "I will try my best to meet your expectations."

McGonagall gave him a small smile, "Good, but don't forget to enjoy your time here. Now, you'll be sorted after the first years so Dumbledore can introduce you to the other students."

Toshiro grimaced at the thought of being singled out in front of hundreds of children but gave her a curt nod none the less. The woman placed a hand on his shoulder and guided back to where the other students were waiting.

They all stared as he passed them, whispering to others and pointing him out to those who hadn't yet spotted him.

McGonagall disappeared through the oak doors only to slip back through with Potter and Hermione in tow and head back down the hallway. A few minutes later the three reappeared and the older woman sent the two teens back into the hall.

McGonagall then stood in front of the doors, "It is now time for the sorting to begin. Please be patient for your turn and wait quietly."

The snowy haired youth could practically see the nervousness rolling off of the students in waves as they began making their way through the now open doors.

He stared at the hundreds of students that were sitting at the tables. All in all, the number housed in the hall seemed to be about the same as the number in the tenth division.

Really, each house was basically a different division. In his head he began numbering the tables. The red and gold one: the First Division, the yellow and black: the Second Division, the blue and silver: the Third Division and finally the green and silver: the Fourth Division.

The group marched forward until they were in front of another table that seemed to seat the teachers. In the middle of the table was the oddest man Toshiro had ever seen. It was like someone had taken the Soutaicho and dressed him in the dark...and then given him a ridiculous hat.

McGonagall went to stand in between the students and the teacher's table and set the stool down with the hat on top. The entire hall was silent as if they were waiting for something and just as Hitsugaya began to wonder what, the hat- the _hat_- broke into song. (2)

Its voice came from a mouth formed from a rib near the rim of the bottom and the taicho couldn't help but stare. Yes, he had seen many strange things in his time, but never a singing hat.

As the hat's voice died off and the song ended McGonagall stepped forward and began reading off of the scroll she was carrying and began calling out names,

"Abel, Samantha."

A small blonde girl hesitantly stepped forward and made her way up to the stool to pull on the hat. After a moment the hat's voice rang out into the hall,

"HUFFLEPUFF"

The yellow and black table applauded enthusiastically while, the others only politely, or in the case of the Fourth Division (the green and silver), not at all. One by one the students were sorted into their houses until only Toshiro and a blonde haired boy remained.

"Zansburg, Alec."

The boy was sorted into Ravenclaw and Toshiro was left to wait as the Deputy Headmistress rolled up the scroll and turned to the teacher's table. The man in the center of the table, Dumbledore the headmaster, stood and called the attention of the whispering students,

"Everyone before we continue I am happy to announce that this year we will be welcoming a transfer student."

Exclamations of disbelief and excitement broke out through the tables as they all craned their necks to catch a glimpse of him. Whispers of, "look at his hair!" and "he's as pale as a ghost." broke out, among other things.

"Settle down," Dumbledore called and the hall instantly quieted. "I expect you all to welcome him with open arms and treat him like you would any other. We welcome Toshiro Hitsugaya, who will be a third year."

* * *

Harry chocked on his own spit, "A THIRD YEAR?!"

Everyone along the table turned to stare at him and he quickly ducked his head.

Ron looked over to Hitsugaya incredulously, "That pipsqueak is in the same bloody year as us?! I don't believe it."

Hermione too looked surprised as she watched Hitsugaya move towards the stool with a natural grace.

Harry watched as the hat was placed upon his white locks quietly chanting, "Please not Gryffindor, _please_ not Gryffindor."

Hermione shot him a glare before turning back to watch as the shorting hat decided what house the white haired child –for he certainly couldn't be a teen- would be placed.

* * *

Toshiro sighed as everyone continued to stare and the hat was placed upon his head. Never, had he felt so foolish in his life.

"Well, well what do we have here?"

The small taicho started at the sound of a voice that wasn't his or Hyorinmaru's echoing through his head.

"Oh don't mind me," the voice said and he realized quite suddenly that it was the hat speaking into his mind.

"Smart one aren't you? Now...where to put you."

He frowned as the hat continued to ho and hum to itself.

"OH!"

Toshiro was taken off guard by the sudden outburst and nearly jumped off the stool.

"What?" he snapped.

"Aren't you an odd one? Not even alive now are we? And such power! But let's not forget your sharp mind."

Hitsugaya growled as he realized the hat had been looking through his memories, "If I find out that you've told—

"Don't worry," the hat said in a placating tone, "Everything I see in the mind of a student is strictly confidential. I won't even tell Dumbledore if he asks me to." The ice wielder nodded. "Now, let's see. You are certainly brave...but I have feeling that you won't fit in with the Gryffindors very well, and you're loyal enough. You are certainly ambitious...but I have a feeling the Slytherins won't exactly be your cup of tea either. You're mind is like no other so I think....

"RAVENCLAW!"

* * *

Harry sighed in relief as the hat called out Ravenclaw, "Thank _God_ he's not in Gryffindor."

Ron gave a small nod but as Dumbledore began to introduce Professor Lupin and then told them to tuck in, the food appeared and he quickly began ignoring the conversation.

Hermione sighed, "I can't say I'm surprised. He really is quite brilliant, but I was hoping he'd be in Gryffindor. He's so interesting to speak with and I've love to get to know him better."

Harry shrugged as he grabbed some meat pie, "You can always talk to him on weekends and in the evenings. It's not like he died or anything. He's just not sitting at the same table as us and not be in all the same classes."

Hermione nodded, "I suppose you're right."

Soon enough the feast was over and Dumbledore stood once again to address the student body, "I welcome you all to another what I would expect to be enjoyable year at Hogwarts! Now, it's time for bed."

The tables were instantly cleared and the calls of the prefects filled the hall when suddenly Dumbledore's voice cut through the bustle,

"And if I might have Mr. Hitsugaya follow me please."

Harry turned to see a curious Toshiro calmly get up and make his way after the Headmaster who seemed to be heading in the direction of his office.

He frowned, "I wonder what he could want."

Ron shrugged as he got up and gave a loud yawn, "Probably just wants to make sure he's alright and has everything he needs or something."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're probably right."

As he watched the back of the ever stoic Hitsugaya disappear he couldn't help but think that maybe Dumbledore too had sensed something wrong with the kid. But maybe, just maybe the headmaster could figure out what exactly that something was.

* * *

(1)I'm not going to go all out with the accent like some writers do. That many red spell check lines adjutant me...But I'll have a few where I think it would be very prominent, which pretty much means –ing endings. Okay?

(2)There's no song in book three because technically Harry is supposed to miss it. I've tweaked the story to meet my vision but I'm not going to even attempt to come up with a song. Some of you would probably start crying from its horridness.

* * *

**Okay, so we all know Toshiro is a genius so clearly he belongs in Ravenclaw, and so I had him sorted into that house. NOW, the problem is that if I keep him in that house then...well he'll barely ever see Harry and they'll never have classes together. SO! My question to you all is would you rather have:**

**VOTING IS CLOSED**

**A) Toshiro transferred over to Gryffindor by Dumbledore (I've worked out exactly how I'd do it and Toshiro won't be happy about it...)**

**B) Have Dumbledore make it so that instead of Slytherins and Gryffindors together it will be Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I figure that I could justify that really easily. I mean REALLY easily. (then no stupid Malfoy...) **

**So just put your answer in a review okay? It can simply be the letter if you want...or it could be in an ACTUAL review! Reviews **_**are**_** very nice...**

ForeverFalling.


	8. Hissing Beavers

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! I woke up on Monday morning, grabbed a glass of juice and put my laptop on the table, said good morning to my mum and checked my email. When I saw all the reviews from just one night I gagged on my orange juice and wound up spitting some on my cat who looked rather offended. Seriously guys YOU ROCK! Keep it up and I'll be one happy girl :P

**Okay, so for the results let me just say: Yes it was a ****vote****. I feel kind of bad 'cause some of you sounded so happy and stuff... I mean some of you said please with smiley faces and I'm a sucker for that. And then some of your reasons as to why your choice should be the correct one was amazing and I sat there like, "that is so true." But it was a vote and that meant that if it was going to be fair I really didn't have much say in which choice was the winner. Alright? So no hard feelings okay? **

**Option A: Toshiro transferred to Gryffindor- 23 votes**

**Option B: Switch up Slytherin and Ravenclaw- 11 votes**

**You have no idea how tedious it was to count them all. I had to sit there with a pad of paper and make a T chart and tick off one side every time there was a vote. Maybe next time I'll just make it a pole...if there is a next time. **

You know...I kind of had a bit of an idea that would incorporate both ideas...and I must say I like it! But don't worry A. still won out...I'm just going to tweak it a bit! I do love Luna after all....

_

* * *

_

_As he watched the back of the ever stoic Hitsugaya disappear he couldn't help but think that maybe Dumbledore too had sensed something wrong with the kid. But maybe, just maybe the headmaster could figure out what exactly that something was._

* * *

Toshiro frowned as he followed the oddly dressed wizard from the hall and into the corridors.

His encounter with the Dementor earlier on the train had left him weak and exhausted. The world was spinning as his head pounded. The small taicho held Ran tightly trying to stop his hands from shaking.

It was as if all of his energy had been drained from his being. His skin was pale (paler) and clammy and he was having trouble properly moving in his gigai.

Dumbledore glanced back at him, "Are you feeling alright Toshiro?"

He thought about snapping at the man for the casual use of his name but his head was telling him that the less sound he had to make the better, "Fine sir."

The man nodded as they continued down a long hallway. Hitsugaya couldn't help but take in his surroundings as he went, noting the suits of armor that lined the walls and the torches that cast light on the cold stone floors.

He was so distracted he almost missed the fact that the headmaster had stopped apparently having reached his destination.

The corridor ended at a large stone gargoyle and after a moment the old man actually began speaking to it. It was then that Toshiro began to wonder if maybe, _just maybe_ it might be best if he walked away and pretended he had never followed the man.

It was probably head trauma of some sort. He'd once seen an office call Byakuya Kuchiki a 'fine piece of ass.' to the taicho's face after hitting his head off a support beam. Needless to say after words the officer's head injury had been the least of his problems.

Dumbledore quickly, after notifying the statue that no one else should be allowed in, said the words, "Blood Pops." And the gargoyle slid aside to reveal a revolving staircase. The white haired youth hesitantly followed the headmaster and found that the stairs led to a large oaken door with an odd knocker.

He was then led into an office that was cluttered with many artifacts from what looked to be a shrunken head to the sorting hat. "Please, have a seat," Dumbledore gestured to the chair in front of his desk as he went to take his own seat.

The old man stared out at him with sparkling blue eyes as he intertwined his fingers. Toshiro practically fell into the seat as his knees gave out, "What did you want to see me about?"

The headmaster smiled, "I just wanted to welcome you to Hogwarts. It's not everyday that we have a transfer student in our midst. So as you can imagine there's been quite a buzz going around about you."

Hitsugaya frowned as the man continued to survey him as if looking for something, "Yes, many people were rather interested once they found out that I was transferring here."

Dumbledore leaned forward to place his elbows onto the wooden desk, "I actually received some letters telling me about you from some of the shop owners. It seems you've made quite the impression."

The small taicho could only imagine what those people had said about him. 'The pet shop owner had been downright scared of me after all,' he thought to himself as he looked down at the small kitten perched in his lap.

When he didn't respond the man continued, "Now, as you may already know people in these times people can be...less tolerant if you will, of things they deem abnormal or odd."

Toshiro could see where the man was going. "But, I assure you that the students and staff will be able to see past their preconceived notions and welcome you with open arms."

"I'm sure if they're anything like the people I have come across in England so far that won't be the case."

Dumbledore gave him a kind smile but the youth could see something lurking in the man's eyes, "I assure you everything will be fine. But, its getting rather late and we both have to wake up early tomorrow so I suggest we head off to bed."

Toshiro nodded as he stood to leave and the headmaster directed him towards the Ravenclaw dormitories. He gave a polite nod before shutting the door behind him with a sigh. There was something off about that man....

---

Dumbledore frowned as he stared after the odd child. He had been telling a bit of a white lie when he had said people would look past their first impressions of him. Such unique features were something one didn't come across often.

There was also the fact that people had been depicting those known as 'jinxes' with hair the exact same colour as his for years. It would be a rather difficult reputation to bear.

The old man knew that certainly jinxes surely did not exist. It was said that a jinx appeared in the form of a human with alabaster skin, fair hair, and that they would curse those around them as they left destruction in their wake.

Really, it was just an old tale told to children but even fully grown adults had been known to run in the opposite direction of someone even remotely fitting the description.

He looked down at the letter Olivander had sent him the day before. Maybe the wand maker had been onto something...

---

Toshiro grumbled as he made his way to Ravenclaw tower.

The halls were rather dark seeing as everyone was supposed to be in their rooms and he could make out the sounds of a rat scurrying across the stone floor.

So far in his one day at Hogwarts he'd been tripped, pushed, gawked at, and insulted. If this was any indication as to how the year was going to turn out he was going to be in hell.

The only upside that he could find so far was the comfortably cool temperature of the grounds and castle. This time of year Soul Society was still suffering under the oppressing summer heat.

The small taicho stopped in his tracks as the rat he had heard previously ran past him and down an adjacent hall. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and dust covered the floors off to the sides where people normally didn't treed.

The place really needed a good cleaning, it was worse than his office when he left Matsumoto in it unattended for several hours...Well at least here he hadn't found any drunken naked men lying around on the floor.

Matsumoto. Although he would never admit it, he was already missing his quirky lieutenant. She had a way of making things interesting.

No one could claim to be bored when she was in their presence. Ten months without seeing her was indeed a long time.

---

Toshiro stared at a rather large door that he hoped to the entrance into the Ravenclaw dormitories. The only problem was that it was locked. He tried the knob again but found it useless.

"To enter you must pass the test."

The small taicho jumped back at the sound of the voice and glanced around trying to find the speaker. "Solve my riddle and I will let you pass."

Hitsugaya stopped short when he realized that the door seemed to be speaking. He calmed himself before asking, "A riddle?"

"Yes."

"Fine, tell me your riddle."

"My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. What am I?"

The small youth didn't hesitate to answer, "A candle." The door silently swung open revealing a room swathed in blue and silver (1). Book shelves lined some of the walls with comfortable looking chairs situated throughout the room as well as several desks.

The area was only dimly lit by a fire crackling in the hearth that was surrounded by some chairs and a couch. He slowly made his way over trying to ignore how his eyes burned and his knees shook as he did.

Hitsugaya eased his tired body down onto the couch setting Ran down beside him, promising himself that he'd get up in a moment and head up the stairs to find his room. He'd just close his eyes for a minute...

* * *

He woke to the sound of whispers and slowly cracked open a teal eye to find several people in front of him blatantly staring. Toshiro realized he must have fallen asleep in front of the fire as the teens in front of him said something.

For a moment he was unsure as to what they were saying but as his brain kicked in he realized they were speaking in English. –Wouldn't wake up. We were kind of worried that you'd died or something," an older boy with wavy brown hair was saying.

The boy beside him looked just as tired as Hitsugaya felt as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde locks. The white haired youth nodded in acknowledgement as he stood and straightened his uniform, "Could you point me in the direction of the dormitory?" The brown haired boy smiled kindly but there was also nervousness there,

"It's right through that door," he said as he tilted his head towards their right. "You'll be in one of the rooms labeled third years. There's a list on the doors of the people in each you so just look up your name and that'll be your room."

Toshiro thanked the teen before grabbing the still sleeping Ran up and heading through the door he had indicated. He could hear more whispers as he left the room but chose to ignore them.

Sure enough there were several doors labeled third years after a flight of stairs and it only took him a moment to find his name. The room was rectangular and filled with several large double sized beds.

He grimaced at the thought of sleeping in one of the high beds rather then his futon. At the foot of the farthest bed, next to a rather large alcove with a window, was his trunk.

The room was devoid of people and he realized they must have all headed down to the hall for breakfast. He made his way over slowly, stifling a yawn as he went.

When he opened his trunk he noticed that all of his uniforms now bore the Ravenclaw crest and his ties were now blue and silver. Suddenly he looked at the clothes he was wearing and saw that they too had changed to fit the Ravenclaw uniform.

He wasn't sure whether to be fascinated or rather disturbed.

He pulled of his wrinkled clothes and slipped into fresh ones before running a hand through his hair. He had long ago discovered that it didn't matter how he slept on it, whether he brushed it or not his hair would always keep its scraggly appearance.

He sighed as he tried to decide if he wanted to head down to the hall or not. Really, there was no point seeing as he couldn't eat but people might think it odd if he didn't show up. He growled frustrated as he loosened his tie slightly, glanced at Ran who he had set on the bed before striding from the room.

---

Harry yawned into his hand as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

Ron had his head down on the table as Hermione was biting into some toast. The hall erupted in whispers and Harry looked up to see Hitsugaya walking calmly into the hall. The scarred boy could hear a girl whispering to her friend a few people down about how the blue of his uniform compliment his eyes and fair hair.

He looked around to find most of the girls eyeing the small boy, (but he could also detect a hint of weariness) while the guys looked on with accusing gazes. The white haired kid took a seat as far from the others at his table as he could get.

Harry continued to watch as a long blonde haired girl sat down gracefully across from his and began saying something. The glasses wearing teen couldn't help but admire the girl for her boldness. Where others shied away she went right up to the odd guy and struck up a conversation.

---

"Did a Vander-Skoot get you?"

Toshiro looked up to find himself staring at a rather odd teen looking at him curiously. "I'm sorry?"

"A Vander-Skoot. They come in the night and take your colour."

He stared at the girl as she smiled lightly and pulled a pitcher of some disgusting looking juice towards her, "They come every night and slowly steal your colour until you turn completely white. You're lucky you came here, a few more visits and you'd be as white as a cloud."

"Yes...how...fortunate. You are?" The girl looked at him dazedly, "Luna Lovegood and you're Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The small taicho nodded, "That I am." She graced him with another smile as she began piling food onto her plate, "You're not going to eat?"

He shrugged casually, "I don't normally eat breakfast."

She hummed quietly and he absentmindedly let his gaze wander the room only to catch Dumbledore's eye. The man stared at him intently for a moment and Toshiro stared right back not bothering to blink.

The headmaster averted his gaze and turned to chat with McGonagall. The taicho couldn't help but smirk; he'd heard from several people that his stares could be quite intimidating. A new division member had once broken down in tears...but either way he was glad his gaze had the effect on people.

It often shut them up rather quickly.

It was then that he noticed that half of the student body seemed to be staring at him. He met the eyes of a blonde haired teen dressed in green who smirked before turning to a rather large boy and laughing about something.

Toshiro growled when he could just make out the words 'little freak' on the greasy looking blonde's lips.

"Hm, the hall seems to be rather chilly this morning."

He looked up to find Luna pulling her cloak more tightly around her and quickly reigned himself in, realizing he had effected the hall's temperature.

The sound of names echoed through the hall as teachers began walking up and down the tables handing out papers. "Schedules," Luna explained as the teacher handed her hers.

A few moments later Hitsugaya was handed his before the blonde stuck her hand out silently requesting to see it.

"We have all the same classes," She hummed as she handed his back. "I quite enjoy History of Magic."

He nodded not really caring that much what she enjoyed. If it were up to him he would have just camped out in the forest and dealt with the Dementors when they stepped out of line and watched them from a far.

But, according to Dumbledore's address to the student body the night before dangerous creatures lurked in the woods. And while he was sure he could manage he had no desire to charge blindly into a possibly difficult situation to deal with creatures he'd never heard about.

He could tell that the Dementors were lurking around on the school grounds by the feeling of his energy being drained. He could already tell that getting too close to the things would be suicide but he would still have to study them.

The only thing he really needed to figure out at the moment was how his power levels would affect the drain. Either raising it would help to slow it down or speed it up immensely.

Any jump in his energy and the Dementors might come running- or gliding really- from all over to get to him. But, the extra strength might help him to fight the effects.

In the end he decided some experimentation was in order.

Students began filing out of the hall and Toshiro follow Luna with his gaze as she..._skipped_ away. That girl was an odd one.

He looked down at his schedule to fine he had Care of Magical Creatures first. He grimaced; he'd never been one for animals. Matsumoto had had a cat once, she'd asked him to watch if for a few days...and it didn't turn out that well to say the least.

In fact, his desk had never been the same, he never did get that stain out, and his third and fourth seats had needed therapy for several decades. And the small taicho wasn't allowed near cats anymore by order of Yamamoto.

Then there had been the time when Ukitake had made him hold that hamster...but either way it all amounted to one thing: Hitsugaya Toshiro and animals of any species –excluding dragons, and birds- size, or breed could not to be allowed in the same room (That was yet another rule set out by Yamamoto).

But then again, maybe he'd fair better with the magical variety.

* * *

It turns out that no, the white haired shinigami didn't deal any better with magical creatures then he did with normal ones. If anything it had been worse.

He'd been stung by some odd animal that resembled a beaver. But it couldn't have been a beaver seeing as last time he'd checked beavers couldn't _sting_ people!

He swore to himself that the next time Hagrid told him to go towards the hissing animal –beavers didn't hiss either- he wouldn't listen. The giant man was insane. And clearly those creatures didn't need to be cared for, they seemed to be fairing quite well on their own.

Luna walked beside him when they headed down to Potions. As they made their way to the bowels of the castle and into the dungeons he felt his mood improving as the temperature began dropping.

It wasn't overly warm outside but he was always more comfortable in the cold. The crowd of students, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs (or divisions two and three as he liked to call them) alike were waiting outside of a thick wooden door.

He noticed grime along the walls in places and he could hear the sound of water dripping from some far off corner. He tried and failed to stifle a quiet yawn as he took in the area.

As the day wore on he could feel the effects of the Dementors taking their toll. He was beginning to become concerned about the drain he was feeling. If too much of his energy was absorbed it would begin to affect his gigai. Like any real body it could become ill and weak if he couldn't properly nourish it.

The door suddenly gave an ominous creak as it opened and the students began filing into the dark classroom. The room was filled with long tables and was lit with candles and lanterns.

Some of the teens shivered but Toshiro released a rather pleased sigh as he took his place beside Luna. As everyone settled down there was a bang as the door was slammed shut and a greasy man stocked to the front of the room.

From what he'd heard of Severus Snape he was apparently a 'git'-whatever that was- according to Potter's gang.

When Snape reached the front of the class he pulled a wand from within his billowing robes and tapped a chalk board that was off to the side and directions for the day's lesson appeared, "Complete the assigned work. You have the entire class, and then you will submit a sample which will be graded." Everyone set to work and Hitsugaya went to follow Luna to when there was a knock at the door.

* * *

Minerva sat in front of the headmaster's desk, "Switch him? But- but Albus it simply can't be done!"

Dumbledore smiled, "My dear anything is possible and I feel we would benefit from him being under your watch."

She frowned, "Why would he need watching?"

He sighed tiredly, "I'm sure you've noticed but that air around that boy...it seems rather off to me. And I've received an interesting letter from Olivander about Toshiro as well. I think for now, until I've done some research into the matter that it would be best for you to keep a close eye on him."

The Deputy Headmistress nodded as she prepared to take her leave, "But what shall we tell the other students?"

The headmaster smiled, "Ah, that Minerva is the beauty of Hogwarts. By the end of the day there will be several reasons traveling around the school as to why he was transferred. The students can be so imaginative..."

She nodded before slipping out of the door and making her way to the dungeons.

* * *

Hitsugaya turned to find Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway grimfaced. Snape looked up from his book, "May I help you?"

"Yes, I would like Toshiro Hitsugaya to follow me and bring his books."

Snape scowled as he drawled, "And why may I ask are you taking him in the middle of an important exercise?" McGonagall narrowed her eyes, "He's being transferred to Gryffindor."

The entire room fell silent before everyone turned to look at the white haired Ravenclaw, now Gryffindor. Luna patted him on the shoulder, "And to think we were having such an enjoyable time."

He gave the blonde a small smile that could have passed for a grimace before gathering his things and following the teacher out.

---

Minerva grit her teeth as she heard the swish of Hitsugaya's robes and knew he was following. The boy was a far cry from normal but she didn't think it meant he had to be transferred.

Albus was just being paranoid...but the man had a knack for being right.

She turned her head slightly to catch sight of the child. He was quite small for his age; far too thin. There were dark circles under his oddly coloured eyes that stood out shockingly against his porcelain skin. It looked as if he never saw the light of day and she noticed that he was clutching his books white knuckled as his hands shook subtly.

Maybe he was sick?

She'd heard rumours whispered through the halls that he wasn't human, he never ate. She had to admit that after the sorting she'd watched him and noticed that the only time he'd touched the food was to slip bits to a small kitten that he kept in his lap.

She stopped walking when she thought that they were outside hearing range of any of the classrooms. Hitsugaya looked up at her with cold teal eyes as she steadied herself, "The headmaster has decided that you will be transferred as I said before. He believes that you would do well in my house."

The boy's eyes narrowed, "But I was sorted into Ravenclaw, does that not mean that I am suited towards that house?"

The older woman stared back at him trying to see if she could determine what exactly was supposedly wrong with the boy, "Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw if you're unaware, has a more hands off approach. I myself am rather hands on and the headmaster believes that as a transfer student, and a new immigrant to this country that you would benefit from some guidance."

The white haired child finally nodded after thinking it over for a few moments but he still seemed rather skeptical. She tried to with hold a sigh of relief as she gave him a small smile, "Well seeing as you're now in my house I expect you to behave accordingly. I don't want to be getting any complaints about you. I get enough of them about Potter and the Weasleys as it is."

He nodded, "Of course."

She turned to leave but quickly called back, "The Gryffindors are in Defense against the Dark Arts at the moment and it would do well for you to head down before you miss the entire lesson. I believe they're a few doors down in the staff rooms, I'm sure you'll be able to hear them."

---

Toshiro stared after his new house head. He hadn't expected to be transferred and clearly it wasn't something that normally occurred.

He could practically see the tension rolling off of the Deputy Headmistress' skin. Something was going on. First Dumbledore had mentioned letters from the shop keepers of Diagon Alley and suddenly he was being transferred by a rather nervous looking McGonagall. But he really had to focus on the task at hand:

So he had to head down to Defense against the Dark Arts...if only he had any clue as to where that was....

--

* * *

(1) I really can't remember what their common room looks like and my book has gone MIA since I moved into my new house three weeks ago...actually a lot of my books have...damn moving. But yeah, so I'm just making it up.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! As I'm typing this right now my mom is watching a video on the t.v. about inserting chest tubes because she's teaching some interns tomorrow about it and she wants it to be fresh in her mind...so I'm watching them fiddle around with this cadaver, cut him open and stick stuff in him...its odd...but I can't look away.....

Yours truly,

ForeverFalling.

PS. Don't forget to review


	9. Haunting

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Well I decided to update rather quickly on this chapter! Seriously I was working on this chapter in school had it almost completely written the realized that if I actually posted it, it would completely throw my time line out the window....so I had to start over and save that for later. So now I have chapter 9 more or less written! Thanks to all those who review!

Quickest. Update. Ever.

_

* * *

_

_First Dumbledore had mentioned letters from the shop keepers of Diagon Alley and suddenly he was being transferred by a rather nervous looking McGonagall. But he really had to focus on the task at hand: _

_So he had to head down to Defense against the Dark Arts...if only he had any clue as to where that was...._

_

* * *

_

Toshiro wandered the halls as he struggled to locate the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.

His hand flew to where Hyorinmaru's hilt would normally be at a sudden outburst of loud laughter. People were yelling happily and calling out the names of others in a room a few doors away from where he was standing.

He silently made his way towards the door and as he did a flash caught his eye and he looked down to find the blues and silvers of his uniform slowly blossoming into a deep crimson and warm gold; the Gryffindor colours.

He wasn't sure how he felt exactly about being removed from Ravenclaw. He'd quite enjoyed solving the riddles to ender into the common room and Luna had been rather interesting to speak with during classes.

Unlike the others she didn't stare at him or sneer in his direction when he passed. If anything they treated her the same way. He'd never been one for making friends, but he'd found one in her.

The white haired taicho peered into the room to see Ron standing in front of a large spider as upbeat music played. The red head suddenly gave a cry of what sounded like 'ridiculous' and the legs of the large arachnid fell away.

Toshiro carefully made his way through the doorway trying not to call undue attention to himself as he did. The spider had begun rolling across the floor and seemed to be heading rather quickly in his direction. He had to side step the thing to avoid being hit and when he looked back he found the eyes of all the students on him.

When a brown haired boy caught sight of his uniform he turned to his friend snickering, "Guess Ravenclaw didn't want him."

Lupin frowned at the boy as he turned off the music, leaving the room in complete silence. "Well," the haggard man cleared his throat "I received a note from Professor Dumbledore this morning and it seems Mr. Hitsugaya has been transferred to Gryffindor."

---

Harry choked after practically swallowing his tongue at Lupin's announcement. Only one thought came to mind: What the bloody hell?!

"Why, why, why, why, for God's sake why," he moaned to himself. Hermione was looking rather surprised as she stood beside him, "I didn't know they could do that."

Ron snarled, "Yeah well, why should he start being normal now? Just our luck the little freak gets put in our house!"

She glared at him before turning to Hitsugaya and smiling, "It looks like we're in the same house after all." He gave her a curt not but otherwise didn't reply as he continued to stand at the back of the class.

Lupin began calling the class to order again, "Alright who's next?"

Before anyone could put their hand up or call out to volunteer he turned to look at the new white haired addition, "How about you Toshiro? We're working with Boggarts today; do you know what they are?"

He shook his head as he stepped forward and stared at the still spider shaped Boggart. Harry smirked hoping the kid would be scared witless. "Well," the professor smiled as he started up the music again "After this maybe you can give me a full description. The spell is 'riddikulus'. "

Everyone stared and waited with baited breath as the creature began morphing. Harry shivered as the temperature began dropping.

Hitsugaya was staring confused as snow began falling from seemingly no where. The students were shaking in the cold but the white haired boy didn't move and he looked thoughtful as if trying to figure out what the Boggart was showing him.

The snow was falling fast and already it was piling up on the floors and more was swirling through the air. People were wrapping their cloaks tightly around themselves and soon it was if they weren't even in the staff room anymore.

Suddenly the scarred teen noticed a splash of colour in the sea of white. He could see Toshiro grow even paler as his gaze fell on the figure of a young boy standing in the middle of the storm.

He was wearing a thin layer of ripped black clothes and his skin was practically blue from the cold as he clutched a long sword. It took Harry a moment to recognize the half frozen boy as same boy standing in front of him.

Hitsugaya stared on as the other version of himself collapsed in the snow calling out a name as he did. But no one came. The boy was alone. The small body shuddered before seemingly sinking into the snow as splashes of blood began leaching into the white.

Harry felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Bodies. The bodies of slain people were everywhere, all swathed in black and painted red.

Some looked to be only a little older than Hitsugaya while some appeared to be adults, but still young none the less. Swords lay broken some still clutched in the grips of the dead.

Harry turned to see Hitsugaya reaching for something on his back but his pale hand clasped the air and as if just remembering, pulled his wand from within the folds of his uniform and recited the incantation. Nothing happened and as he repeated himself a small brown haired girl pulled herself up from the ground.

Blood poured from a large wound making a sickening sound as the crimson liquid hit the snow, "Shiro-chan."

Harry flinched at the dead look in her eyes and realized that he was actually feeling sorry for Hitsugaya. He glanced around to find the others showing mixed emotions. Hermione looked horrified while Ron seemed to be entranced by the scene playing out in front of him.

He turned to find Lupin, wondering why the teacher wasn't stepping in to help the struggling student. But the man was standing still with a pained look on his face, making no move to rush to the aide of Hitsugaya.

"You didn't save us, you let us die."

As the words poured from her between her pale lips the white haired boy took a step back as if wounded by them, "Hinamori, I-

"You weren't strong enough, Hitsugaya-taicho," she slurred as the blood began dripping from his mouth and sliding down her chin. She pitched forward and he went to catch her before she hit the ground but as his hands came into contact with the fabric of her robes dust came away in his hands.

She slowly began disintegrating and he dropped his wand in an effort to hold her. Dust began filling the air and swirling along with the snow. Soon piles of dust were scattered across the ground and Harry could make out several strands of strawberry blonde hair and some of white.

He wondered if maybe the pile with the white had been a person that Hitsugaya was related to.

"Riddikulus," Harry heard Lupin say sadly and the scene disappeared in a swirl of colour and reappeared as a yellowy orb that resembled the moon.

The room was silent except for the sounds of the Professor banishing the Boggart back into the large wardrobe. Hitsugaya crouched down to pick up his wand and gave Lupin a withering look before leaving the room.

---

Toshiro took a deep breath as he slouched against the wall. Lupin should have warned him. He would have warned any other student and he had a sinking suspicion that Dumbledore had something to do with it. That or the man was simply afraid of him like everyone else seemed to be.

If he'd been told that he would see what was surely his worst nightmare, he would have refused to participate in the exercise. He hadn't wanted to know his worst fear. It seemed like such a pointless thing to know.

What was the point of gaining another fear and one that trumped all others? It was just one more thing to haunt your mind. Now he would be plagued with the thoughts of never being strong enough, dying and abandoning everyone and letting them go to their deaths. Having to bear the weight of that on his shoulders.

Surely, he would have nightmares for decades to come. He'd been well acquainted with death in his years as a member of the Gotai 13. He'd seen veterans slaughtered like they were nothing.

He'd heard the cries of the dying and the injured as they lay forgotten on the ground in the midst of a battle. He'd held a subordinate's hand and had his squeezed tightly as the young man fought the pain of a mortal wound.

He'd promised him everything would be okay; the man seemed grateful for the assuring lie.

How many times had be seen the light fade from wide eyed souls? Far too many to count. But he was still young, and there would surely be more.

Toshiro breathed deeply as he tried to calm his racing heart and ignore the need to empty is stomach contents-especially sense he had none-all over the stone floor.

He could hear the cheerful music echoing from the room, seemingly mocking him. He growled as he lurched to his feet and began making his way through the halls seeing as he had no desire to go back to the classroom.

Maybe he'd find Ran and sit with him for a while. He was curious as to how the kitten was fairing without him there to watch out for him. Considering he'd been transferred to Gryffindor he could assume that all his belongings had been move to their dormitories. And hopefully Ran had also been taken there as well.

He grumbled to himself as he realized that he had no idea what the password was. He'd heard some other students saying 'Gryffindor tower' before so he knew it was located on the opposite side of the castle from Ravenclaw.

With any luck he'd be able to slip into the common room along with another Gryffindor. He could only hope that luck would be on his side for once.

---

Lupin dismissed the class several minutes early after putting away the Boggart and made his way to Dumbledore's office. He needed to speak with the headmaster about the day's events.

It had pained him to watch Toshiro confront the Boggart and not be able to help him. After all, was that not a teacher's job? To help the students learn and better themselves?

He quietly uttered the password to the gargoyle and made his way up into the large office. He knocked and after hearing the normal, "Come in Remus" made his way into the room.

The werewolf found Dumbledore sitting behind his desk with a large tome set in front of him.

"I did what you asked me."

The headmaster smiled, "Ah yes, and how did it go?" Lupin frowned at the blatant disregard for the student's well being, "Horribly. Everything went according to plan."

Dumbledore went to say something but he cut him off, "I don't know why you had me do this but I'm telling you right now if you ever ask of me to do something like this again I will be forced to step down from my position as the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor. I have my morals, and this went against all of them."

The headmaster smiled, "A respectable decision Remus, but I cannot have you thinking that Mr. Hitsugaya is a normal case. I'll inform you of the details when I've completed my research but you must realize he isn't a regular boy."

The tired looking man felt anger swell in his chest, "You're right! He isn't a regular boy! He's a child who's been taken from his home country and thrown into a society that views him as a freak! A jinx that can only bring misfortune and death! If that was the norm for all children surely I wouldn't know what our world was coming to and I would appreciate if you would not patronize me."

The man blanched as he realized what he had just done, "Oh, P-Professor I'm sorry for snapping like that I was completely out of line. I-

"Think nothing of it my dear boy," The headmaster smiled "This only proves to me how dearly you hold your students."

"Yes well, thank you sir but—

"It's perfectly fine Remus. Now," he said clapping his hands together "Tell me about what Mr. Hitsugaya saw."

The younger man retold the story of what had happened when the white haired boy had confronted the Boggart. "Men and women dressed in black robes with swords?"

Remus nodded, "Yes, and they had all been killed. One stood up and told Toshiro that it was basically his fault for not being strong enough...he seemed rather shaken up afterwards."

Dumbledore intertwined his hands, "Well I can certainly see why. Someone so young having such a gruesome scene played out in front of him. Anyone would be affected."

"So does this help at all with your research?"

The elderly man laughed, "Oh why yes it does. In fact I think you've just assured me that my hypothesis is right on track." Lupin nodded; at least it hadn't all been pointless.

* * *

It turned out that luck was indeed on Hitsugaya's side. He was able to slip into the common room after he had spotted a first year that had seemed to have forgotten a book, walking through a doorway that was normally hidden behind a portrait.

When he entered the room the heat assaulted him like a physical blow. How did the Gryffindors stand it?

A few of the older students who had a free period stared as he staggered over to a door that hopefully led up towards the dormitories. He was mildly disappointed when he discovered that even the stone walls and stairs were warm unlike the ones in Ravenclaw that were cool to the touch.

He found his name written neatly on a list posted on one of the doors and slipped into the room. He scanned the walls and sighed in relief when he spotted several windows.

Like back in his old room his bed was the farthest from the door and next to one of the large windows that looked out onto the grounds. He quickly went around and threw them all open before crawling onto his bed.

He stopped when he heard a mew and looked to find Ran curled up on his pillow staring up at him with his big grey-blue eyes. He smiled at the kitten and shifted him over until he was curled up beside him and sunk down onto the bed. He knew he should try to get to his next class but he couldn't work up the will to go. Besides, now that the windows were all open the room was quite comfortable...

He woke with a start with the ghosts of a scream haunting his tired mind. Images off the dying and fallen comrades had plagued his dreams. Even those who were long dead and those who shouldn't have been able to move had been crawling towards him leaving bloody smears in their wake as they called out to him.

Their screams of his name had cut through the air as they said how he had failed them. How he had died and left them all alone.

As he cracked a teal eye open and the room came into view he realized that he wasn't alone.

* * *

News of the incident in Defense against the Dark Arts had spread like wild fire.

Everyone was talking about how the transfer student's fear had made several people vomit in the middle of class. Harry actually felt sorry for the white haired kid, but that didn't mean he liked him.

He craned his neck as he tried to catch sight of Hitsugaya wondering if he would actually show up for lunch. It hadn't surprised him in the least that he'd disappeared for the rest of class but he hadn't expected him not to show up for the remainder of the morning classes and now it seemed he wasn't going to attend lunch either.

The scarred boy sighed as he met Hermione's worried eyes, "Look do you want to go find him?"

The girl nodded as she stood up from her place across the table. Ron rolled his eyes and turned away clearly trying to ignore them. Hermione scowled after the redhead but otherwise ignored his attitude.

"So what did you think about the whole Boggart thing?"

She continued to look ahead from her, "I'm not really sure what to think. But, his fears make everyone else's look like something to sneeze at. I don't know much about his life, but there's definitely something wrong with someone having to live with the fear of everyone around you being slaughtered and blaming them for it. It's not a normal fear."

The glasses wearing teen nodded, "Yeah, but like I said before there's something wrong with him. Just- something's just not right." His friend glared at him before asking, "But what I want to know is why Professor Lupin didn't step in. He did for you after all."

Harry grimaced at the memory of the Boggart turned Dementor and he had to admit that he had been curious himself, "Well Lupin's nice enough I guess we could just go ask him later if you wanted to."

Hermione smiled, "That would be wonderful! Harry I really think you should try and be friends with Toshiro. I mean really, he's having a hard time with everyone and these silly rumours. I think he could use the support."

Harry clicked his tongue but otherwise didn't respond as they made their way to Gryffindor tower. When they entered through the portrait hole they found the common room empty except for a pair of sixth years, "Um...have you seen...?"

Both students pointed towards the stairs, "Uh, thanks."

They made their way up to the boy's dormitories but half way up Hermione stopped and shivered, "Its _freezing_ up here. Are all the windows open or something?!"

Harry pulled his robes more tightly around himself as he opened the door to his room. There was now an extra bed and curled up on it with a small kitten was Toshiro.

His breathing was shallow and his porcelain was even paler then it had been after the Boggart incident. Hermione appeared at his side, "Oh, should we wake him up?"

"I'm...not sure."

He was debating with himself as he tried to figure out what to do. Hitsugaya looked like he was suffering and it startled him slightly to see an actual emotion other then anger, smugness, or indifference on the boy's face. But, a part of him wanted to see him suffer. It gave him a twisted sense of pleasure to see the pained look on his face.

In the end the decision was decided for them as Hitsugaya cracked open a teal eye and quickly spotted them, "Can I help you?"

Harry went to respond but Hermione cut him off, "We just wanted to know if you were alright. You- you didn't go to any of the morning classes. Its lunch so we were starting to worry."

The white haired youth sat up as he sarcastically muttered, "_Oh yes_, I'm sure you were absolutely sick with worry."

Harry glared but decided to otherwise ignore the comment, "Well are you coming down to lunch or not? If you don't at least go to classes McGonagall is going to give you detention for a week."

The scarred teen could tell Hitsugaya was reluctant but he eventually agreed and climbed off of the bed that dwarfed him in size. He noticed that Hermione had been right, all of the windows had been thrown wide open, flooding the room with the cool autumn air, "Aren't you cold?"

Hitsugaya looked at him like he'd grown a second head, "What are you going on about?"

"The windows, they're— never mind."

He noticed how the kid seemed perfectly at home in the cold room; in fact he didn't even both with putting his cloak back on. The scarred teen could have laughed-but he didn't-; Toshiro's hair was even more ruffled than usual and his tie had been loosened around his next. All together it made him look even younger then he already did.

---

The trip down to the main hall was silent except for the sounds of their shoes scuffing against the floor— Harry turned suddenly as he realized he could only hear his and Hermione's steps; expecting to find Hitsugaya gone.

But, he came face to face with the boy who stared him down questioningly. Toshiro walked past him and Harry observed him as he went; he moved with a natural grace that he could only describe as fluid.

It was like he was water and as he walked he put Hermione to shame while she strolled along beside him.

Completely silent as he walked with a haunting grace.

'Just like a ghost,' he mused as he hurried to catch up.

* * *

-

Dear Readers,

So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! It was my quickest update ever! Just before I was typing this out I was looking around on the site I normally use to watch my anime on and there's a notice saying that they're pulling the plug on Naruto Shippuuden...I'm horrified...but then again it is April Fools today. Oh god I hope it's a joke. Please let it be a joke. Of course they'll do all like 150 episodes of filler but once it gets amazing and awesome they pull the plug. Oh man. It had better be an April Fools joke...but that would be really unprofessional of them and it's a really good site. Aw man. This sucks. Now I'm all worried. Ugh. It would be really expensive to start buying the manga on top of all my others and then my book addiction. Hmph. If this its not a joke I'm going to scream. There's no way I'm going to go out and buy all of the Shippuuden volumes...I don't have anymore room on my book shelves... but I don't want to read them online....ugh. Thanks for reading

Yours Truly,

ForeverFalling.

PS. Don't foget to review.


	10. Caught

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Thank you to all those who reviewed, they really mean a lot to me. So I discovered they have this new crossover option so I've added Winter's Wind to it. Seriously, I'm that person that just clicks the anime button and ignores like everything else so it took me a while to notice Anyway, I'm going to make Toshiro and Neville friends! Luna will come back in soon as well.

LONGEST CHAPTER EVER!

* * *

Toshiro sighed and quickly averted his gaze from yet another student who seemed to have taken up the recently popular pass time of staring at him. News of the Boggart incident had spread in record time throughout the school and ever since.

As for the Boggart he'd already moved on from the entire thing. He'd learned a long time ago that it was best not to dwell on such trivial things. He'd decided instead to focus on getting settled within the school.

He'd immediately come a conclusion: he hated, no loathed Gryffindor.

Never before had he met so many loud, irritating, obnoxious people. And there were just so _many_ of them. Ravenclaw had been peaceful; there had been quiet laughter and calm conversation so as not to disturb those who were studying or reading.

In the Gryffindor common room it was as loud as one of Matsumoto's parties. Between the noise and the disgusting heat the room was almost unbearable.

No matter how many windows he opened the room was always sweltering. He'd taken to dousing the fire when no one was looking only to turn away for a moment and look back to find it alight again.

He could practically _smell_ the heat and it made his head ache with every beat of his heart. His ears felt as if they were burning and he felt all together sick.

---

He yawned as he made his way down to Care of Magical Creatures. The heat of his dorm room had kept him up rather late and his body was still feeling the Dementor's drain.

The class found Hagrid at the edge of the forbidden forest with several large creatures that seemed to be crosses betweens eagle and horses.

Once everyone had gathered the lesson began. "This here is a Hippogriff," Hagrid stated as he gestured to the closest and finest looking of the odd animals. Everyone stared at the raw meat the giant man had strewn over his shoulder and then at the large creature.

"Now, they're very proud things. 'Real easy to insult one. And believe me, you don't want to insult a Hippogriff, it might be the last thing you do."

Everyone took an involuntary step back.

"Because they're so proud before you go up to one, you've got ta' bow. Once you have, wait for it to bow back and then you can go up and pet it if it'll let ya."

"Uh...Professor," asked a hesitant Gryffindor "What if it doesn't bow back?"

Hagrid frowned as eh pulled at his bristly beard, "Well...I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Several Slytherins started muttering furiously and one blonde in particular looked disgusted. Hitsugaya had seen him in several other classes before, often tormenting Harry or one of his friends.

For a moment the name escaped him. Milroy...McCoy...well it was something along those lines.

"Now! Who wants to try first?"

Everyone took another step back except for Potter who seemed to have been distracted by McCoy and Hitsugaya couldn't help but smirk. "Ah, Harry! Well come on up."

The scarred boy paled but stepped towards the beast and bowed deeply. Everyone waited with baited breathe as the Hippogriff stomped restlessly before returning the bow. The Gryffindors clapped while the Slytherins sneered and Toshiro watched with mild interest.

Potter hesitantly reached forward to pet the creature and slid his hand across the soft looking feathers. The bird nipped affectionately at his cloak and Harry smiled as he pulled the black fabric away.

Hagrid suddenly snatched him up and threw him on the back of the creature.

"Hagrid! What are you do—

Potter's question was cut off with a yell as Hagrid slapped the creature's rear and it went off soaring into the air. The small white haired taicho watched as Potter went flying off wishing that he too could go off up into the clouds.

The Gryffindors clapped when the Hippogriff returned and Harry climbed off of the creature. "Alright everyone," Hagrid called for attention "You can all take turns practicing. Remember to bow and if you get into trouble call me over."

Toshiro noticed a Hippogriff slightly off to the side away from the main group and quietly advanced towards it. Unlike the one Harry had ridden on this one was mostly black instead of brown with white and grey.

When he was within two meters the animal snapped its attention to him and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment. When he went to bow Hitsugaya was caught off guard as the Hippogriff beat him to it.

He reached out a hand to pet the creature and it instantly shied away and retreated into the tree line. It might have respected him, but it sure as hell didn't like him. It seemed Ran would forever remain the one animal that showed him any affection.

Seeing as there was nothing more for him to do Toshiro sighed as he strode over to one of the large trees and sat down, leaning against the trunk. He relaxed slightly as he was engulfed in the coolness of the shade and allowed his eyes to slip shut.

A gust of wind blew across the grounds ruffling his white locks and carrying with it the smell of autumn. He could hear the other students chattering about meaningless things and it all soon turned into a buzzing noise making the words indistinguishable.

The school grounds were beautiful and he often found himself staring out of the classroom windows to catch a glimpse of them. He'd thought about trekking into the forest one night to see what exactly made it forbidden but he hadn't gotten a chance as of yet.

Everyone seemed to be watching his every move so it would be better if he waited.

The sound of a snapping twig to his right ripped him from his thoughts and he was up in a flash, hissing as a sharp piece of bark sliced through the skin along his wrist and arm.

His teal eyes scanned the area until they fell upon a rather ugly creature. It seemed to be some type of horse but its skin looked to be almost decaying in areas and it was stretched thinly over its protruding bones. It almost resembled a hollow in some ways.

Soon three more appeared through the trees and began grazing in the long grass, one even sat down a few feet from him.

---

Harry had watched as Hitsugaya separated himself from the class and traveled off to the edge of the forest before sitting down.

"I like him."

Harry turned to find Neville who had clearly noticed his staring.

"He's kind of quiet, but he's really nice."

Ron snorted as he made his way over having given up on trying to approach his Hippogriff, "You've got to be kidding. That bloke just thinks he's too good to talk to anyone. Thinks he's special or something."

Neville frowned, "I think he's just shy. Once you talk to him you might like him."

"At least someone finally gets what I've been trying to say," Hermione huffed as she approached with her heavy cloak thrown over her arm "Toshiro's a perfectly nice person." Ron rolled his eyes while Harry just grunted in response. He couldn't help but notice that Hagrid too, but was blatantly staring at the new transfer student.

---

Hagrid watched as the Thestrals started appearing from within the Forbidden Forest.

The horses seemed to be drawn towards Toshiro for whatever reason as four, and then five had appeared and were either grazing or lying near him.

The small boy seemed to be watching them as he wrapped his wrist in the sleeve of his cloak. The half giant had noticed something...off about the boy the first time he's met him on the boat.

Dumbledore had apparently noticed something as well because he had purposely switched him from Ravenclaw to Gryffindor so Professor McGonagall could keep an eye on him.

There was something about his oddly coloured eye. They carried a weight to them, a wiseness that should have been beyond the grasp of a mere thirteen year old.

He couldn't help but notice that Toshiro had seemed a bit happier in Ravenclaw too, not so emotionless. He had made fast friends with the weird Lovegood girl. Well maybe not friends but if he had spoken at all it had only been to her.

The Professor was pulled from his thoughts by a pained scream.

---

Toshiro looked away from his injured arm as he heard a scream. He made his way over to where the students were crowding.

"It's killed me! Oh God it's killed me!"

McCoy was sprawled across the ground clutching at his arm that held a small gash as Hagrid tried to settle the Hippogriff that had attacked him. The Slytherins were all yelling about how the creature should be put down.

As the creature calmed down McCoy was still screeching something about his father hearing about the incident.

"Hagrid you've got to take him to the hospital wing," a paled faced Hermione said as she looked down at the blonde. The giant Professor nodded before picking up the teen and dashing off towards the castle at full speed.

As everyone stared after him Hitsugaya began making his way up to the castle seeing as class was clearly over. Soon everyone followed suit and Neville raced to his side. The Shinigami gave him a small smile, "It was an interesting lesson."

The other boy nodded, "Yeah, but I just hope Hagrid doesn't get in trouble because of what happened to Malfoy."

Ah. So apparently his name wasn't McCoy after all.

"So, uh I meant to ask you about where you're from." Toshiro looked back at his fellow Gryffindor who had begun to trail behind, "My family's traveled for most of my life because of my father's work so I'm not from a specific place really. But I was born in Japan."

"What about your mother?"

"She...died a long time ago. What about your parents?" Neville looked down, "I live with my Gran actually." Toshiro nodded and the boy looked thankful that the subject wasn't pursued.

--

If any class made him feel more sick then the common room it was most definitely the Divination classroom.

The air was thick with the smell of incense and the windows were shut tight as a fire burned in the hearth. The only upside was that for the past two days they'd been drinking tea as part of their lesson.

It wasn't anywhere near as nice as his green tea back in Soul Society but it was good none the less.

Hermione stared intently into his cup as she tried to determine his future. Yesterday they had focused on her tea leaves but today –much to his displeasure- was Hitsugaya's turn.

The bushy haired teen flipped through her text book as she continued to examine the cup, "I can't seem to find anything," she mumbled.

The white haired youth shrugged as he sipped from an extra saucer of tea that he'd grabbed, "Maybe there's nothing to see."

She gave him a withering look, "Why don't you take a look?" He shook his head, "I don't believe in this sort of thing. You may continue if you wish." Hermione huffed before once again flipping through the text again.

"Is there a problem my child?"

They both looked up to find Trelawney staring down at them. Toshiro tried not to choke on his tea as he finally got an up close look at the woman. She resembled a giant bee with her huge classes and many bangles.

"Professor I can't seem to find any symbols in Toshiro's tea leaves." Hitsugaya sighed but otherwise let it go; everyone seemed dead set on calling him by his first name and he'd been damned if he let himself be driven insane by it.

"Well, you must be doing it wrong." Hermione rolled her eyes as the older woman snatched the cup from her hands and stared intently into it.

Seconds turned to minutes and the Professor turned the cup this way and that, holding it up into the light before bringing it closer to her face. The small taicho poured himself some more tea as he waited for her to speak.

When she finally set the cup down quietly he looked up, "Nothing to see?" She glared down at him as she fiddled with one of her many scarves, "You must have done it wrong."

He scoffed, "And how exactly does one drink tea incorrectly?" Hermione tried to hide the smile that slid across her face as Trelawney huffed and stocked away. Hitsugaya shook his head as he contently drank the hot liquid.

The class continued to progress around him and he wasn't aware he'd missed anything until there was a collective gasp. He set aside his cup and listened as Dean Thomas, one of his roommates, told the eerily quiet class of the Grim.

Apparently Potter's cup was foretelling his death. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. He'd seen many odd deaths in his time as a Shinigami but no one had ever been killed by future predicting tea leaves.

These people had no common sense what so ever. The rest of the period consisted of people giving Potter nervous glances while the glasses wearing teen stared down at the table where he was seated.

Believe it or not Toshiro was quite disappointed when the class finally came to an end. He'd just been starting on his third cup of tea and had had to leave it behind.

It was quite refreshing to have everyone staring at Potter instead of him but from what he'd heard that was the norm for Hogwarts. He had been meaning to ask someone as to why exactly Potter was famous. The only thing he really knew about the teen was that he had some sort of link to Sirius Black. All in all it seemed it would be beneficial to get some information on him.

Everyone made their way down to the Transfiguration classroom in relative silence before slipping into the room. McGonagall watched them from behind their desk as they filed in and took their seats. Hitsugaya wound up sitting next to a rather shy boy Neville....Neville Longbottom was his name.

He couldn't help but pity him slightly for being stuck with a name like that.

Toshiro watch uninterested as McGonagall turned into a cat; it was nothing new. Shihoin-san had done it hundreds of years ago. When she returned to her natural form the stern woman frowned, "Is something the matter with you all? Not to sound full of myself but normally the students at least applaud."

When no one answered she sighed, "You all just came from Divination did you not?" Several students nodded. "So tell me, who's dying this time?" Everyone looked pointedly at Harry.

McGonagall smiled slightly, "You have nothing to fear Potter. Every year Professor Trelawney predicts that one of her students is going to die. I have yet to one of her predictions come true."

The atmosphere instantly became lighter and whispers broke out through the class.

"Alright now, copy the note of the board."

People pulled out their quills and parchment and began writing. As he neatly went about copying the words off of the board Toshiro couldn't help but notice the way McGonagall was staring at him. She'd taken to watching his every step as of late. He could feel her eyes burning into him whenever he was in her presence.

Because of this he'd taken to going for walks around the grounds during meal times. It wasn't like he had much to do in there. He'd grab a few scraps from Ran and leave before anyone could bother him. The small kitten had taken to Hogwarts like a fish to water.

He'd disappear out into the hallways for hours at a time and reappear when it suited him. Surprisingly enough there had been no incidents involving shredded clothing, destroyed furniture, or broken bones.

Ran seemed to be the one animal that could actually stand him. It might have been because he fed him bits of bacon every morning, but he liked to think otherwise. Every night the kitten would crawl into bed with him and still be there in the morning.

Toshiro set aside his quill as he finished writing the note and wiped his hand off on his robes. How he longed for a brush, quills were just too impractical. He looked up to meet McGonagall's gaze and couldn't help but smirk when she quickly looked away.

The Professor seemed to take up the habit of walking through the rows of desks and checking on each student, particularly Hitsugaya. She wouldn't ask if he needed assistance or even comment. She'd simply stare before moving onto the next student.

The pattern was finally broken when the woman had given a startled gasp and he slid his gaze to her to find her looking stricken, "Is there something wrong Professor?"

She motioned for him to get up as she quickly made her way up to her desk at the front of the room. Everyone's eyes followed them as McGonagall went about furiously writing a note on a small piece of parchment before neatly folding it and handing it to the white haired student, "Gather your books and bring this to Madam Pomfrey."

The other students started whispering while Toshiro gave her a curious look, "Is there any particular reason why you're sending me?"

The stern woman grimaced, "I think we both know the reason Mr. Hitsugaya. Now off with you."

He sighed before nodding and gathering his books. He left with the note in hand and made his way to the hospital wing. The only reason he even knew where it was located was because half of the members of the Slytherin house had been gathered outside it after the McCoy— no. Malfoy, incident.

Not really caring whether he was supposed to read the letter or not he unfolded the piece of parchment-it seemed in her haste; McGonagall had forgotten to seal it in any way- to see why exactly he was being sent to the nurse.

_Poppy, _

_The boy has hurt himself; if you look at his wrist you'll see he's sliced the skin quite deeply._

_I fear maybe switching him from Ravenclaw to Gryffindor may have been too much for him to handle on top of his being sent away from his family and being new to this country...then with the incident that Remus told us about._

_We already know he hasn't been eating. Please give him something to make sure he doesn't get any farther with this and keep a close eye on his behavior, we can't have him getting seriously hurt._

_Minerva. _

Toshiro reread the letter a second time through almost laughing as he did.

How ironic, she thought the dead boy was trying to kill himself.

She'd probably go and tell everyone about how he was 'depressed' and then everyone would be watching his every move, more so then they already were. His job had just gotten a little harder.

Hitsugaya grumbled as he made his way to the hospital wing knowing McGonagall would find out if he didn't go. He growled; troublesome woman.

---

As Toshiro slipped into the hospital wing he noticed that Malfoy had already been discharged seeing as he wasn't there.

Madam Pomfrey was busy cleaning up one of the beds when he cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up from her work, "May I help you dear?"

He nodded as he strode forward and handed her McGonagall's note. As she read it her face paled, "Oh— oh my."

He shook his head, "I've read the note and there seems to have been a misundersta—

Pomfrey grabbed his arm causing him to drop his books and pulled back his sleeve to reveal the long cut. When he actually looked at it in the light he could understand why McGonagall had thought what she had. The wound stretched from the base of his wrist midway to his elbow. Luckily while it had bled quite a bit, it hadn't been deep enough to do any major damage. "During class—

"You did this during class," she asked incredulously as she pulled him along and shoved him down onto one of the beds.

"Well yes, I was—

"And your Professor didn't say anything?! Whose class were you in," she asked eyeing him as she pulled out her wand.

"Look," he growled frustratedly as the temperature began to drop. "It's fine. It's healing well on its own and I didn't do it purposely."

The woman glared at him before her gaze softened, "Dear, it's alright. We all know this is a difficult time for you, no one blames you for this."

He tried to interrupt her but she continued, "If you ever need to talk you can come to me," she finished as she waved her wand and his skin began to knit together, "If you ever feel the need to do this again just come to me and I can help."

Toshiro growled, "I didn't mean to do this!"

She smiled kindly as she gently took his hand and said as if she was speaking to a four year old, "I know you didn't mean for this to happen dear. Things just got out of hand. The important thing is that this doesn't happen again."

The white haired taicho stared at her before nodding. Sure, if it made her shut up and got him out of there. Smile and nod; wasn't that what they said? He wasn't going to smile, grimace maybe but he'd let her think he got the message.

She handed him a cup filled with a questionable looking liquid, "It will help keep you calm." Screw with my mind you mean, he thought as he eyed the potion. She looked at him expectantly before the doors slammed open and a student with antlers came tumbling in.

The nurse frowned as she strode over to the funny looking boy. Toshiro quickly took the potion and dumped it into a near by potted plant. He grabbed up his books and rushed out before she could stop him.

Instead of going back to Transfiguration he decided to head down to take a walk for a while out in the grounds.

---

Ever since Hitsugaya had left McGonagall had seemed distracted and Harry was curious as to why.

Everyone was whispering as they all told each other of their theories but one Hufflepuff said that he knew exactly why the boy had been sent away. Apparently he'd seem what the Professor had been looking at and it had been a long cut on Hitsugaya's wrist and McGonagall must have thought he had been cutting himself.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. The kid might have been quiet and even emotionless but he didn't seem the type to get depressed.

Hermione still seemed rather worried because even if he hadn't done it on purpose, he'd still been hurt. He sighed when he'd finally heard enough of her and Ron arguing over Hitsugaya, "Look, I think I saw him trying to stop his wrist from bleeding in Care of Magical Creatures. He had wrapped his cloak around it. He didn't have a knife or blade or anything. It was probably an accident."

Ron and the bushy haired girl both nodded as the bell rang through the school signaling the start of lunch. "You know," the red head stared as he gathered his books "I mean...he never eats. And he's really skinny as is."

Harry smirked, "Worried about the transfer student now are we?" Ron snorted, "As if. I'm just saying. Makes me wonder what's going through his head."

Harry nodded, "Yeah I know what you mean. But, I've been thinking and...well if Neville likes him he can't be all that bad can?" Ron looked at him disbelievingly. "Well maybe we just got off on the wrong foot!"

His freckled friend looked down as he pursed his lips, "I dunno mate...maybe." Hermione smiled as she clapped her hands together having slipped her books into her bag, "Oh I know you'll just love him! Okay, maybe not love but you'll see he's actually quite nice."

Ron snorted but didn't say anything.

When they arrived in the Great Hall they all tried to spot Toshiro but they couldn't find the short boy. "I wonder where he is," Hermione muttered. Ron shrugged, "Well if he never eats then what's the point in coming to lunch? Must be boring...you know mum used to tell me about people like him."

Harry quirked an eyebrow, "You mean the whole 'jinx' thing?"

His friend shook his head, "No, about people who never eat. They can get really sick you know. Like, eventually die sick. I just wonder if the little weirdo knows what he's doing."

Hermione gave him a withering glare before sighing, "Well, he's been here for a few days and I haven't seen him eat anything, I don't think anyone has but that doesn't mean he isn't eating."

Ron sighed, "Actually I think that's exactly what it means 'Mione. Hell, I thought you were the smart one." She rolled her eyes, "Maybe English food just doesn't suit him. He could actually have something stored away in his room...or maybe he knows where the kitchens are and he makes himself something. If he hadn't eaten anything in this long he'd look a lot worse then he does now."

Harry nodded, "That makes sense. Maybe that's where he is now," he said as he looked around the hall once again.

As they sat down Hermione looked somber, "I hope everything works out with Hagrid and Buckbeak. Knowing Malfoy he's not going to just let this go." Both of the boys nodded as they filled their plates.

"Sweptd djgit," Ron said past a mouth full or potato. Harry nodded as if he knew what he friend was saying as he cut into his chicken.

Hitsugaya only appeared at the end of lunch to grab several small scraps of meat the Harry knew were for the little kitten that was probably waiting back in the common room.

Hermione noticed, him watching the retreating back of the transfer, "Well there's always later. No one says we have to make friends with him today." The glasses wearing teen nodded as he drank the last of his pumpkin juice and stood, "We'd better go get our books. Snape doesn't like it when we're late."

Ron nodded grudgingly and he and Hermione followed him out of the hall.

"I guess we can talk to him after class," Harry said as they continued down the hall. Ron was about to reply when they heard voices coming from an adjacent hall.

–found them," said the voice of McGonagall.

"Where were they?"

Hermione frowned and whispered, "Isn't that professor Snape?"

Harry and Ron nodded as they crept to the entrance of the hall.

"They were hiding in an abandoned classroom in the west side of the castle."

They voices were beginning to fade as they moved away from where the trio of friends was standing

–scared—decided."

"Has—wondering—

Harry furrowed his brow, "I wonder what they were talking about? Who was hiding?"

Hermione shrugged as she continued down the hall, "I have no idea but we can talk about that later, if we don't hurry we're going to be late."

---

As he descended the stairs the temperature began to drop and Toshiro could feel his spirits lifting.

Snape, despite what most students said, was actually one of his favourite teachers. Sure, the man had a sharp tongue and at times he stepped over the line, but he was an intelligent man.

He knew his field inside and out and valued silence and discipline above all. The slightly greasy professor had yet to try and antagonize him and while it might have been because of something Dumbledore said, it seemed more likely that if you actually did your work and gave him the proper respect, he would stay out of your way.

Naturally this meant that he and the majority of the Gryffindor population were sworn enemies.

When he arrived, both Slytherins and Gryffindors were waiting outside of the classroom door chatting with their friends. Neville noticed him and slowly made his way through the mob of students towards him, "What happened? You never came back to Transfiguration and there are all these...rumours going around."

Toshiro shrugged, "It was all a misunderstanding. I've sorted it out." The tall boy nodded and smiled, "I'm glad. I told everyone there was no way you would actually hurt yourself."

The Shinigami gave a small 'hn' but otherwise didn't comment. Gossip around the school traveled even faster then the gossip back in Soul Society.

He could hear Harry going on with several boys about an upcoming quidditch game. Hitsugaya didn't know much about the game other then what he'd heard from others talking about it in class or in the common room. Apparently it involved broomsticks and flying balls that tried to hit you or something along those lines.

It didn't sound at all appealing.

He broke off from his conversation with Neville as the classroom door swung open and students began filing in. Snape was sitting behind his desk sneering at them as they took their seats,

"Follow the instructions on the board. Longbottom, try not to blow yourself or Mr. Hitsugaya up. Although maybe that's why he sits beside you, he has a death wish."

Toshiro glared but otherwise left the man alone and started pulling out his supplies. He was just about to correct the way Neville was cutting his roots when there was a knock at the door.

Everyone turned around to find McGonagall walking into the room, "Severus I'd like to borrow Mr. Hitsugaya if I could. Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with him."

Snape rolled his eyes, "It seems you have a habit of disrupting my class Hitsugaya. See that it doesn't happen again."

Toshiro nodded as he stood and gathered his things before saying a quiet goodbye to Neville. "Actually Severus," the Deputy Headmistress spoke up "You're also supposed to accompany me to his office."

Snape narrowed his eyes before he nodded in understanding, "If any of you step out of line I'll know and it'll be a week's detention," he said ominously as he eyed the class before giving Toshiro a shove, silently telling him to get going.

The trip to the headmaster's office was a silent one but tension filled the air. Toshiro ignored it and continued in graceful strides behind McGonagall with Snape following behind.

But through the tension he could feel the waves of confusion and curiosity rolling off of the two professors which meant they were in the dark as to why they were being called by Dumbledore just like he was.

Snape spoke the password and the gargoyle let them pass up onto the revolving staircase. Dumbledore called for them to come in before anyone had the chance to knock so they silently slipped into the room.

The headmaster was sitting behind his desk and smiled kindly while he eyed Hitsugaya. But the taicho could see something lurking in those blue depths. It made his skin tingle and he longed to have Hyorinmaru in his hand.

"I'm sorry to pull you out of class like this again Toshiro." The white haired student nodded but otherwise didn't respond. "Why don't you take a seat," the older man asked as he gestured towards the chair situated in front of his desk. Hitsugaya hesitantly sat down; at the moment he wanted to be as far away from the man as possible, not closer.

"You see as I said at our last meeting I received an interesting letter from one of the shop keepers in Diagon Alley, Mr. Olivander to be precise. Because of what he told me I was wary of you," he admitted as he set his elbows on the desk and intertwined his fingers

"But I decided to look further in matters before taking action."

Toshiro sat stiffly as he waited for him to continue. McGonagall had drifted to the side of the desk and was standing just within his line of vision while Snape remained at the back of the room.

"Do you know much about Hogwarts Toshiro," Dumbledore asked innocently. The Shinigami shook his head, "I don't know much I'll admit."

The headmaster nodded as he sat back in his high backed chair, "Well you see we have ghosts who live in the castle with us. They've been here for centuries."

Toshiro frowned...he couldn't recall—

"Ah yes, but I'm sure you've noticed since you've arrived that there have been no ghosts in sight."

McGonagall looked narrow eyed at the man as he continued, "You see they've been missing since the beginning of the term," the headmaster exclaimed

"Now, I'm sure you can imagine we were all quite worried including many of the students. It was actually just today that we found them hidden away in an abandoned classroom."

Hitsugaya glared at the man realizing what he was getting at and slowly rose from his chair.

He heard a swish of robes and knew Snape had drawn his wand and soon McGonagall had pulled hers as well.

Dumbledore smiled in a way that was almost similar to Gin, "The really interesting thing is that when I asked one of them why they had hidden themselves away he said it was to protect themselves. He said a powerful and dangerous adversary had come to Hogwarts, under the guise of a white haired child."

* * *

Does anyone get why the tea leaves wouldn't work for Toshiro?

**June 7th, 2009 Edit: Hey it was just pointed out to me that Toshiro isn't supposed to be able to drink or eat and yet in this chapter he's drinking tea. Whoops! Heh. I guess when you read the chapters one after another errors like that are more apparent. But anyway....I don't have the heart to cut out the scene...But let us all remember that NO, Hitsugaya cannot eat or drink (for now) in this story! This is as much as a reminder for you all as it is for me.... *laughs sheepishly* So forgetful....**

Dear Readers,

You know how he cut his wrist on the bark of the tree? It can happen, I've done it. It hurt like hell and I had to deal with Emo jokes for weeks. My dad was like the only one who really didn't say anything except, "Only you could manage something like that."

For the whole part of how Toshiro reacted to the heat I was going off of personal experience. I do NOT handle heat well at all. My Dad is the crazy guy who turns down the heat and opens the windows during the middle of winter. I've gotten so used to it that I actually start feeling sick if it's too hot, especially in a house or a car. I swear I can actually smell the furnace or heater going. My friends say I'm crazy but I can smell it. I've had to actually leave my friend's houses because of how hot it was but to everyone else it was perfectly fine. It gives me the worst headaches and I feel like I'm going to pass out or throw up and my face and ears feel like they're on fire...I'm better when its like natural summer heat but not much...The whole thing can be kind of annoying. Thanks for reading!

Your's Truly,

ForeverFalling.


	11. Rights

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Thanks so much to all those who reviewed. OVER 200! Seriously that's amazing. You guys are awesome.

Alright. Just a quick note here. Several people have pointed out that while in a gigai, a soul does have to eat. I would like to thank those who pointed out this error but I'm actually using it as a bit of a plot device....

Another person pointed out that if all the ghosts were gone who would be teaching History of Magic? Actually...I had something written up to deal with that a while back...and I forgot about it...Yeah I'm that forgetful *smiles nervously*. Eventually I'll go back and integrate that document in but for now just humour me alright?

PS. Thanks to **Tanglemask** for helping me get over my writers block! Being friends sounds like fun!

_

* * *

_

_Dumbledore smiled in a way that was almost similar to Gin, "The really interesting thing is that when I asked one of them why they had hidden themselves away he said it was to protect themselves. He said a powerful and dangerous adversary had come to Hogwarts, under the guise of a white haired child."_

* * *

Toshiro glared at the older man as he continued to smile, "So, you know I'm not a normal student. What do you plan on doing?"

The headmaster leaned forward, "I'm not sure exactly what you are Mr. Hitsugaya, if that's even your real name. But, if you pose such a threat I might just have to...neutralize you."

The temperature in the room began to slowly drop as Toshiro stared, "_Neutralize_ me?" Dumbledore nodded, "Unless that is...I can put you to good use. From what Sir Nicholas said you have powers beyond the comprehension of the wizarding world."

Snape snorted but kept his wand at the ready as he stood near Hitsugaya's side. "I think three wizards of our caliber will be more then enough to control you."

McGonagall stepped forward with a look of horror on her face, "But Albus he's just a boy! Surely there's another way." The headmaster shook his head sadly, "Don't be fooled Minerva. He could very well be a monster that wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

The woman paled but continued, "Maybe so but I— "Not now Minerva," he snapped, his eyes going cold before turning back to Hitsugaya.

The white haired Shinigami glared from where he stood, "You really think I'll sit back and let you control me?" Dumbledore grinned, "My dear boy you don't have a choice in the matter."

The temperature suddenly dropped dramatically and the wind began to howl outside of the tower, "This is a grievous mistake on your part Dumbledore." The man smiled, "Is it?"

The windows broke open and snow began to flood into the room. The wind continued to roar as the walls and floors began to ice over.

"You dare threaten me _boy_," snarled Hitsugaya, his teal eyes glowing. "I have lived longer then you ever will and I could cut you down the moment I decided to do so and yet you have the _gull_ to believe you can manipulate me?!"

Dumbledore stood and withdrew his wand, his eyes narrowing, "You're doing all this," he asked over the wind as snow began to gather in his beard. Toshiro smiled while the headmaster paled as a wave of killing intent rolled over him, "This is nothing."

The air was becoming heavy and thick making it hard for the wizards to breathe as they struggled to stay standing, "I suggest you back down before someone gets hurt."

Snape stepped forward, struggling as he did, "Headmaster, this boy is far too dangerous to keep within the school." Hitsugaya stood stoically as the temperature dropped far below zero, "I came here with no intent of harming any or the students or staff but if you push me I won't hesitate to remove any obstacles that interfere with my mission."

The potions master glared, "How dare you threaten us you insolent child?!" Dumbledore held up a hand, "Do not forget Severus. This is no child. He is nothing short of a monster."

"Call me what you will," Hitsugaya shrugged. The headmaster smirked, "Sir Nicholas was right in saying you were powerful. Severus, Minerva."

Snape stepped forward his wand held in front of him and fired off a curse. Toshiro growled to himself as he realized he was trapped. His gikongan was back in his room sealed away in his trunk.

A beam of red came shooting towards him which he easily sidestepped. He let his frosty reiatsu flood the room even more and it bore down upon the wizards.

McGonagall struggled to keep her wand arm up and soon she had to brace her arm with her other. With his limit on and the drain he had been feeling he couldn't unnecessarily waste any of his energy.

Snape was fairing quite a bit better then the woman and quickly shouted out, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Hitsugaya swore inwardly as he suddenly found himself unable to move his gigai. Snape smirked as he slipped his wand back into his robes and returned to his former position.

He'd have to wait for them to drop their guard and then somehow make it to his room. In his gigai the most he could do was release his spiritual energy and while he was running so short on it, it could do little more then intimidate them.

He needed Hyorinmaru; he needed to be able to move freely. He needed a plan.

Dumbledore smiled as he stepped out from behind his desk not nearly as badly affected by the pressure as Hitsugaya would have liked, "You have an amazing power for one who appears so young. Tell me," he continued quietly as he slipped a hand under the Shinigami's small chin and lifted his head to meet his eyes, "How old are you exactly?"

Before he realized what was happening pictures of Hinamori and his grandmother were flitting through his head as if he was watching a film. He was eating watermelon on a hot afternoon while sitting out on the porch of the house, Momo was telling him how she was going to become—

He quickly broke eye contact with a snarl directed at the man who towered above him. The headmaster smirked, but Toshiro could see the goose bumps on his skin from the cold, "I'll have to figure out exactly what you are before I can properly put you to work. Until then I'm afraid you'll have to pay a visit to the dungeons."

Inwardly the taicho was almost glad, he didn't really mind the dungeons; with their cool temperature they were far nicer then the common room.

"Now, if you don't mind its rather chilly in here and the carpets are going to be ruined if it snows for much longer," he raised his wand "Stupify."

The world faded away.

---

Potions had long ended and dinner had begun yet Toshiro and Snape had yet to reappear, even Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were missing.

Harry frowned as he sipped his pumpkin juice, "I wonder where he got to." Neville looked worried as he hurried up to sit with him and Ron, "You don't think Toshiro got into trouble do you?"

Hermione shook her head from across the table, "He hadn't really done anything wrong. But, it might be about his not eating...I just don't see why Snape would have been called to the meeting as well. McGonagall is a must seeing as she's his head of house, but I just don't get why Snape would go. And then Dumbledore..."

Ron shrugged as he cut into his roast, "We'll just have to ask him what happened when he comes back."

But he didn't come back...

---

Hitsugaya woke to the sound of Dumbledore's voice.

As he cracked open his teal eyes he realized that he had been tied to a chair that had been placed in the middle of a rather large cell. The room was cold and he took comfort in that but the fact was that he was completely at the mercy of the wizards was unsettling.

He could feel something almost...pulling at him. Draining him and causing his concentration to slip away as he struggled to steady his breathing. They were going to find a way to kill him, he just knew it.

He'd be letting everyone down and soon his nightmares would become reality. He could see it playing through his mind. The blood there was so much blood. Dead children in the streets and the injured crying out for help, comrades lying mangled in the fields, their blood splattered through the blades or—

He snapped his eyes open having not realized he had let them slip closed as he tried to expel the images from his head.

The headmaster's face came into view as he stepped from the shadows, "I see they have a very negative effect on you. You and Harry have that in common." Toshiro let his gaze slide across the room until it landed on two Dementors who were waiting in front of the cell door.

He'd broken out into a cold sweat as tremors racked his bound body. His vision was swimming and he knew he was slowly being absorbed by the hooded creatures. "Albus, he looks horrible. Are you sure about this," asked a voice he knew to belong to McGonagall.

The old man sighed, "Minerva please," he said sounded exasperated "We've talked about this." Toshiro could hear her grumbling from within the shadows that blanketed the corners of the room.

Dumbledore smiled kindly, "But she does have a point doesn't she Mr. Hitsugaya. You're looking quite awful." The small taicho growled but the noise only made his head pound. "While you were unconscious I tried to gain access to your mind and I was met with something quite...odd to say the least. Almost like ice."

Toshiro clenched his fists. The whole thing was unsettling to say the least and he found himself feeing insulted and offended that the headmaster had dared to delve into his mind.

"So tell me Toshiro, what exactly am I dealing with here," he said as he leaned in. Had the taicho been a lesser person he would have spat into that smug face, "I believe you must have your own theories on the matter."

The man sighed as he stepped back, "Of course we have theories. But they are just that. Truthfully, I find you rather perplexing. You're looks, and the way the Thestrals are drawn to you, and let's not forget your powers over the temperature and your inability to eat. I've never met anything quite like you." Toshiro frowned but otherwise kept quiet.

"Headmaster if I may interrupt," the drawling voice of Snape said as he stepped into view. "I hardly see how this is going to help us. The boy clearly refuses to say anything and I for one would like to return to my room _before_ dawn."

Dumbledore nodded but continued to stare at the boy who remained bound in front of him, "You know, Toshiro. Like I mention earlier, I do have some theories. Would you be willing to tell me if they were accurate?"

"I'll tell you nothing bastard," he hissed as he stared at the man's chest, making sure not to make eye contact. The older man chuckled as he began to pace the room, "Olivander had it in his head that you weren't alive. He said when fitting you for your wand he could feel death emanating from you."

He stopped his pacing and pulled his wand from within the folds of his robes, "It would be so easy to torture it out of you Toshiro, please just tell me what I need to know."

Hitsugaya glared, "Do what you will. I won't tell you anything. Kill me if you must."

The headmaster stared at him and he made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were eerily wide, a look of insanity present in their depths, "But can I do even that Toshiro? Could I end your life? Or would you simply continue to sit there and taunt me?"

The small taicho could hear the hysteria within the steady voice. The man was reaching his limit. "Tell me, are you really dead? Are you some sort of freak? Some immortal monster that has come to wreak havoc? Or are you simply here to kill us?! Do you see Toshiro? _Do you_? This is the difference between life and death for you!"

The tenth division head could see Professor McGonagall looking wary as she stepped forward as is preparing to protect her student.

He sighed, "I have come to observe; nothing more." Dumbledore smiled happily, "Observe what exactly? What are you?"

Hitsugaya shook his head as he tried to get some circulation in his bound wrists, "I will tell you nothing more."

The smile slipped from the headmaster's wrinkled face quickly, almost comically,

"I see. _Cruico_."

Pain ripped through his body as if his bones themselves were burning. He'd been stabbed in the chest before and yet this pain was far worse. It was like his insides were boiling as he bit through his tongue, but he refused to cry out.

Just as suddenly as it had appeared the pain was gone and he opened his eyes to find McGonagall looking horrified while Dumbledore looked at him rather sadly.

The taicho spat the blood from his mouth only to have it fill open again with the thick metallic tasting liquid.

"I'm very sorry it's come to this my boy." And he did seem sorry which was rather surprising. A wrinkled hand reached out and wiped the blood from his small chin, "Please tell me Toshiro."

"ALBUS STOP THIS INSTANT!"

Numbness spread through his body as black spots coated his vision. He could still feel his energy being leached from his body and blood was spilling from his chin down onto the white of his dress shirt.

He could only hope he wouldn't bite his tongue off. His wrists were bleeding too as the ropes, magically reinforced cut into them and chaffed the skin. At this rate his gigai would be ruined.

McGonagall was standing in front of him with her arms thrown wide, "Albus I don't know what's gotten into you but this has to stop. He's just a boy."

When the headmaster went to say something she cut him off, "I don't care how old he actually is. He is in the body of a boy and I will view him as such!"

Dumbledore knocked her aside and Toshiro felt something strike him across the face; a fist.

He gagged as he almost swallowed a tooth that had been knocked free. He stared up at his tormentor keeping his face blank.

"Are you ready to tell me yet Mr. Hitsugaya? I'm nearing the end of my rope and I would like to get you to the Hospital Wing." Toshiro growled through his blood coated lips, spraying the crimson through the air, "Screw you."

The pain once again flooded his body. When it stopped Dumbledore looked at him sadly, "Now are you ready?"

When the small teen once again shook his head the same fist connected with his cheek. He saw white for a moment as he tried to clear his vision only to be punched again. Dumbledore sighed, "Cruci—

"Headmaster, why don't I try," The potions master asked suddenly and Toshiro wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried.

The man hesitated before nodding and backing away while McGonagall glared daggers at him from across the room. Hitsugaya's left eye was swelling up from being hit-for an old man he could punch hard as hell- and he knew he must have been a sorry sight.

Snape bent down and placed his hands delicately on either side of Toshiro's face. The small taicho tried to turn his head away only to have Snape tighten his grip painfully, "Just relax Hitsugaya and this will all go smoothly. Legilimens."

Black eyes stared into teal and the rest of the world seemed to fade away to nothing. Toshiro wasn't sure if his gigai was malfunctioning or if it was him but the world seemed to be spinning as the temperature dropped.

There was a roaring in his ears that he was sure was coming from Hyorinmaru but it was only getting weaker. He knew he should be trying to fight, yet something was telling him not to.

Memories were playing out in front of his eyes. His grandmother serving him rice on night at dinner, making fun of Hinamori, meeting Matsumoto in the market place, it was as if he was watching his entire life play out from the beginning. But there was something wrong...something that didn't belong.

He couldn't quite place his finger on it...there had been a reason why he hadn't wanted this. Suddenly the memories were changing. They were of the battlefield and he watched as he cut down hollows and his comrades were killed. He wasn't a taicho yet, just a normal shinigami.

Screams were filling the air and he wanted to stop—he didn't want to see anymore. He tried to shake his head to rid himself of the images only the images only to find he couldn't move. Something was holding him still— then it came back.

Snape.

His eyes were open in a flash as they glowed brightly. The temperature of the room had dropped and the potions master and apparently mind reader was shivering as he finally broke eye contact, his lips blue.

The greasy man quickly withdrew his hands and straightened himself. His eyes were almost fearful as he backed away, "Headmaster," he stared shakily "This – this boy isn't human. He isn't even alive. Olivander was right."

Dumbledore nodded, "Just as I thought." McGonagall stared wide eyed at her student, "If he's not human then what in God's name is he?!"

Snape narrowed his dark eyes, "Some sort of...warrior. He could very well be here to kill us all. But he most certainly isn't alive. I could tell just by reading his mind and he's not the only one in there."

The room went silent except for the shuddering breaths of the Dementors. "What do you mean by that Severus," The Deputy Headmistress asked worriedly.

"There's something else dwelling in him. Something strong, I could feel it trying to hold me off but the Dementors seem to help keep it at bay. They seem to be almost...eating this thing."

Dumbledore fiddled with his beard as he stared off at the guards, "I see." Toshiro blinked repeatedly as he tried to clear his vision. He could feel his eye lids drooping and he knew blood was still dripping from between his lips.

The headmaster knelt down in front of him and lifted his chin ignoring the blood, "Well Toshiro it seems we now know something about you. From now on maybe we'll just skip to Severus reading your mind instead of having to hurt you so."

The taicho wrenched his head away and spat two of his back molars to the ground before glaring at the man. Dumbledore smiled,

"Oh don't worry my boy Poppy can take care of that. But, how is it that you can bleed if you're dead hm? This is all quite interesting. But the fact is: you no longer have any rights."

"Rights," the white haired youth asked disgusted at how the blood escaped his mouth as he did. The headmaster nodded, "As far as I can tell, you're some sort of magical creature. One that isn't mentioned in any of the protection laws...," he smiled kindly as he wiped some of the blood off of Toshiro's face with his sleeve.

"That means that when it comes to you, we can do _anything_ we want."

* * *

--

-

Dear Readers,

So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I tried to make Dumbledore seem a little...unstable. One moment he was smiling and then next he was angry again. I really wanted to get this out before I went to Boston with my choir on Wednesday so I'm happy I met my little deadline... I'm normally not good at that sort of thing. Anyway, have any of you seen the new Naruto Shippuuden movie? I loved it! Well, maybe not all of it but the parts with Sasuke were just epic.

So, it might be a little bit before I can update. I'm away for my trip then the dire race to catch up on missed homework will begin...But it shouldn't take too long. And who knows? Maybe I'll see some of you guys out in Boston! Of course....you won't know it's me and I won't know it's you, but fate will sure as hell be laughing at us! Thanks for reading.

Yours truly,

ForeverFalling


	12. Wheeling and Dealing

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Well I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, you're all awesome! Sorry about the delay for this chapter I just got back from Boston, schools been insane, my parent's have decided to crack down, my piano and voice exams are coming up along with school ones, I had the flu and now my cat's decided he wants to go missing. It's been a bad week. As my dad often says, "Shoot me now."

* * *

"_As far as I can tell, you're some sort of magical creature. One that isn't mentioned in any of the protection laws...," he smiled kindly as he wiped some of the blood off of Toshiro's face with his sleeve._

"_That means that when it comes to you, we can do anything we want."_

_

* * *

_

Toshiro glared, "I think you'll find it's far beyond your ability to intimidate me."

The headmaster straightened as he sighed and stepped back, "Toshiro if you would just cooperate with me things would go much more smoothly." The taicho remained silent as the headmaster began to stroke his beard, "I would prefer if we could solve this without violence."

The Shinigami stared, "And what exactly do you want besides information on me?" Dumbledore smiled, "Feeling a little more agreeable are we?"

"I'm simply trying to determine your motives." He nodded, "I would like to propose a deal."

"A deal."

McGonagall turned to Snape as if he knew what the elder man was going on about. The potions master subtly shook his head as he watched Dumbledore begin to pace, "As I'm sure you're well aware we have a murder on the loose."

The snowy haired youth nodded simply.

"It has become clear that Sirius Black intends on coming after one of my students and I assure you I'll do _anything_ within my power to protect him and those Black might hurt while trying to get to the boy."

Hitsugaya sighed, "And I suppose I somehow come to play in this?" Dumbledore stared down at him, "I would much rather risk the life of someone who is for all intends and purposes dead than I would a living person. As I said before you are an unknown creature and therefore have no rights. If you agree to this I won't alert the ministry to your existence and I myself will not lay a finger on you."

Toshiro felt the need to point out that with magic there really wasn't much of a need anyway, but refrained, "And if I refuse?" The blue eyes darkened, "Then I'm afraid I'll have to hand you over the Ministry and believe me when I say they don't take kindly to unknown threats."

The taicho considered his options. He could easily escape-hell he could kill them all if he so chose-once he was able to get to his gikongan but he still had a mission to complete. As of yet he'd barely gained any information on the Dementors and he would not return to Soul Society without something substantial.

"What exactly would this mission entail? I suppose you'd want me to watch the boy for the duration of the year?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "At least until this matter is resolved. I've already had you switched to Gryffindor so keeping an eye on Harry should be easy enough."

Toshiro smirked, "I knew there was something more behind your decision to transfer me."

"You're indeed an intelligent being."

"Flattery will get you no where."

The professors stood back and watched wearily as the two stared each other down. McGonagall was relieved that everything had worked out although she would be speaking with Dumbledore later.

She'd never seen the man snap like he had before, it had startled her, scared her even, to see him behave in such a manner. But at the moment her eyes were locked onto her white haired student. The fact that a mere boy could hold so much power was amazing, even if his real age was undetermined.

He really was the perfect candidate for the job, she couldn't deny that. But that didn't mean she was comfortable with it. Not only had Albus struck and cursed one of the children but he'd resorted to blackmailing him as well. She knew the headmaster would go to the ends of the earth to protect the students but she couldn't agree with this.

Dumbledore nodded and with a wave of his wand the bindings came loose. Toshiro flexed his wrists and rubbed at the abused flesh as he looked up, "Do you really think letting me go is wise?"

The headmaster shrugged, "I see no need to keep you bound if you're being cooperative and the Dementors are in the room. If things had gone differently earlier we could have discussed this all over tea."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, because being blackmailed over tea would have been _so_ much better. "Now, do you feel this proposition is fair?" The white haired teen raised an eyebrow at that, "Fair? No, quite frankly it's anything but."

McGonagall nodded in agreement while Snape glared at the boy. The older man smiled a sight which Toshiro had come to associate with nothing good, "Yes, but your other option is far less enjoyable."

Hitsugaya inwardly sighed; the wizard had a point, it really was his best option. But he had no desire to tag along after Potter and his band of annoyances. He'd once heard Ronald Weasley say his head resembled a cotton ball and Potter himself was just plain frustrating.

"I can see you are rather displeased with your situation." Understatement of the century. "Which is of course understandable, but I assure you Harry is a perfectly nice young man, even with his...stubborn streak."

He calls it stubbornness, I call it arrogance, Toshiro thought to himself.

"So do you find this agreeable?" The white haired youth stared as he slowly stood, careful to not startle the other two wizards in the room, "I find this in no way _agreeable,_ in fact I resent this entire situation. But, clearly I only have one option and I'm sure you know which one it is."

The headmaster nodded and stuck out his wandless hand, "Well Mr. Hitsugaya, I'm quite sorry we got off on the wrong foot but I believe Severus mentioned you were a warrior of sorts so I'm sure you know what its like to have to protect your subordinates and comrades. But now that we've settled everything I'd like to welcome you to our...team of wizards."

Toshiro rolled his eyes but accepted the hand and shook it firmly, "Yes well, I'm not exactly a wizard now am I, and so what does that make me to your little team?"

Snape spoke up snidely, "You could always be the mascot."

---

Toshiro sighed as he made his way to the hospital wing. His heavily bruised face was aching while his tongue continued to bleed into his mouth and his legs seemed ready to give out. He stared down at his trembling hands and quickly tried to steady them.

He'd been exposed to the Dementors for far too long and it had clearly taken a toll on him. His mission was in no way going according to plan, in fact the plan had been completely thrown out the window. He'd simply wanted to observe and learn but instead he'd gotten himself blackmailed into helping in wizard affairs and putting his own life on the line while doing it.

He half heartedly thought about just leaving. It would be as simple as walking past the castle gates and summoning the Senkaimon. He growled to himself because he knew that that isn't really an option, if only because of his pride.

He couldn't allow himself to go back and stand in front of his fellow taicho and Yamamoto and tell them he'd failed such a simple mission.

Madam Pomfrey paled when he walked through the doors, "My God! What happened now?" He stared at her blandly, "I fell."

Her eyebrows practically disappeared into her hairline but she ushered him over to a bed and went about healing his face. She babbled on about useless things as she worked but after years of working with Matsumoto he'd learned to block out annoying voices.

The thought of his fukutaicho made him cringe she was never going to let him hear the end of this. She'd be cracking jokes for decades. He was brought out of his thoughts when the nurse yanked open his mouth, grimacing as she did, "You've bitten through you tongue dear, you're lucky you didn't completely bite it off. You must have taken quite a spill."

He nodded absentmindedly as she waved her wand and went back to work. His face no longer ached and the pangs coming from his mouth were lessening. The woman might be aggravating, but she did her job well.

She pulled away and glanced into his mouth once more before giving him a pat on the cheek, "All done dear. Please be more careful, I don't want to see you back in here again." He forced a smile, "I can't guarantee anything but I'll try."

She nodded as he slid off of the bed. "Take care of yourself," she called as he slipped through the doors.

He rubbed at his eyes wearily as he began heading back to Gryffindor tower. With luck he could get in a half hour of sleep before breakfast. With that depressing thought Toshiro stopped and stood in place, sleep would be wonderful but he couldn't bear to go back to the oppressive heat of the dormitories.

Seeing as Dumbledore was being a little more agreeable, he'd have to see if he could do something about the situation. He yawned as he leaned against the cool stone wall and slid down it. It was early enough that no one was walking through the halls and the coolness was soothing to his sore muscles.

He let his eyes fall shut knowing that if anyone did come, he'd easily hear them.

* * *

Harry yawned as he rolled over in his bed trying to get comfortable again. The room was flooded in the predawn light and he knew he could get some more sleep before having to get up.

His green eyes swept the room and landed on Hitsugaya's bed. The sheets were still neatly tucked in and it was clear that it had gone unused the night before. His brow creased in worry as he wondered what possibly could have happened to the transfer student – not that he liked the guy!

But he'd decided to make an effort and he was more worried about Neville's reaction. The teen had formed some sort of bond with Hitsugaya and it would tear him apart if something had happened to the white haired kid.

The scarred teen sat up and threw aside his warm blankets. "Ron," he whispered. The redhead proceeded to roll over and turn his back to him. Harry sighed as he crawled off of his bed and walked over to his friend's bed, feet slapping the cool stone floor, "Ron wake up."

Once again there was no response. He grabbed his glasses from his bed side and then began shaking his friend, "Damn it Ron wake up!"

The youngest Weasley son shot up in bed, "Get them away from the rollerblades!" Harry stared, "Uh, Ron?" His friend looked at him, "The spiders Harry the spiders!"

The glasses wearing teen nodded slowly before smacking his friend. Ron blinked for a moment seeming to finally realize he was no longer asleep and looked around before frowning, "Bloody hell Harry why are you up this early? But more importantly why am_ I_ up so early?"

Harry rolled his eyes before huffing, "Hitsugaya never came back."

Ron failed to stifle a yawn, "Wh-what?"

"Hitsugaya, I don't think he came back last night. I think something must have happened." His friend frowned, "Yeah but he was with Dumbledore, and he wouldn't let anything to happen to one of his students."

The scarred teen fiddled with his shirt, "Well maybe something happened at home or something. Didn't he tell Hermione his dad was in the military? Maybe something happened to him."

Ron grimaced, "The guy might be a git but it'd suck if something happened to his dad." The other teen nodded and the room went quiet except for Neville's occasional snore.

* * *

The sound of shoes against the stone floor was what woke Hitsugaya and his teal eyes snapped open. He could tell several people were making their way down the hall and quickly lurched to his feet.

The taicho went about straightening his shirt realizing then that he'd never gotten his outer robe or vest back and that the white of his dress shirt was splatter with long dried blood.

Two Hufflepuffs appeared from around the corner and easily caught sight of him. One of the girls practically shrieked which caught the attention of her friend who paled, "Oh my God."

The two suddenly ran down the hall trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. He rubbed at his temples knowing that rumours were going to spread like wild fire about the transfer walking around covered in blood.

What a wonderful way to start the day.

He began making his way back to the common room making another realization as he did: he'd never gotten his wand back. The teachers would be glaring at him all day if he didn't have the stupid stick with him. He'd have to see Dumbledore at breakfast.

"I like what you've done with your uniform."

Toshiro turned to find Luna walking up the hallway, clutching her books in her hands.,"....thank you." She nodded, blonde waves bouncing as she did, "I must say classes are no where near as entertaining without you in them."

They began walking towards the great hall, Toshiro's previous thoughts of changing sent to the back of his mind, "Yes well I can't say I've found this entire ordeal enjoyable."

She smiled, "Would you like me to fix your clothes?" He nodded, "If you could."

She murmured a short spell and the blood faded away and his clothes appeared to be freshly cleaned. "Thank you."

Luna nodded before she began skipping down the hall and Toshiro had to lengthen his stride to keep up. "There are many rumours about you in the school," she noted as she stared off dazedly. "Yes I'm well aware."

"So far I've heard that you're a jinx, you're suicidal, you're a monster, and you're a zombie...but we all know zombies aren't real. They're actually referred to as the living dead. But you've had quite an exciting first week."

"True enough I suppose."

The great hall was empty when they arrived at the doors but Toshiro stopped when he sensed something. He turned around to find an apparition floating in front of him. It was a man dressed in clothes he'd seen in old history books and knew were very popular in the living world several hundred years ago,

"I take it you're one of the ghosts Dumbledore was speaking of?"

"Hello Sir. Nicholas," Luna said. The man smiled kindly, "Well hello young lady and to answer your question young sir, I am. You must be the infamous Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The taicho nodded as he eyed the ghost. After Snape's remark Dumbledore had decided to lay down some ground rules; one of them being he wasn't allow to harm the ghosts who seemed to fear him so greatly. He'd agreed of course; it wasn't like there was much room for negotiation. That was one among many; he had to report to Dumbledore weekly, he wasn't allowed to leave school grounds without an escort or permission, he wasn't allowed to speak to anyone of their deal and he wasn't permitted to harm any of the students.

There were a few dozen more which he hadn't cared to remember. "I don't know about infamous, but I _am_ Toshiro Hitsugaya. It's a pleasure to meet you Sir. Nicholas."

The ghost nodded but seemed to keep his distance which was understandable, "Dumbledore said he...discussed certain matters with you?" The white haired youth nodded, "Yes he has but I would appreciate if from now on if you would refrain from telling the headmaster any information on me."

The man frowned as he subtly glanced at Luna, "Information?" Toshiro ignored the warning, he knew Luna would speak of this to no one, she didn't speak to many people as it was, "We both know you have a rather good idea of what I am and I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. This isn't an order or a threat, just a request."

Sir. Nicholas gazed at him for a moment before nodding, "If no one is harmed and you keep yourself and your powers in line then I don't see why I would have to tell the Headmaster. If anything he'll figure it out by his own hand soon enough."

"In due time I'm sure he will, but thank you."

Luna began making her way through the doors to the Hall and Hitsugaya followed leaving Sir. Nicholas the mull over their conversation.

He joined Luna at the Ravenclaw table ignoring the stares of the students who soon began flooding into the hall. He'd been chatting with the blonde about some sort of creature that lived in hollow trees and only came out on the full moon to crawl into the bodies of unsuspecting victims and take over their minds, when a certain Gryffindor trio arrived.

He knew he was going to have to get on their good sides if he wanted his new mission to go smoothly. He grumbled at the thought of having to actually work at forming a (fake) friendship with them.

Hermione caught sight of him and pointed him out to the boys and they all made their way over to where he and Luna were sitting. The bushy haired girl eyed him for a moment looking him over, "We were starting to worry when you didn't come back last night."

He shrugged, "I had some matters to attend to with the headmaster concerning my transfer." She nodded but Harry continued to scrutinize him.

"But Harry and Ron have something to say," she said as she eyed her two friends. Both teens seemed surprised for a moment and Toshiro heard a mumbled, "We do?" from Ron.

She glared at them and Harry sighed, "We uh, just wanted to apologize for acting the way we have...and uh we were hoping we could start over and maybe be friends?"

Hitsugaya slowly nodded before excusing himself to go speak with the headmaster who had just arrived.

"Well," he mumbled to himself as he made his way up to the head table. "That was convenient."

* * *

--

Dear Readers,

Okay, so there's chapter 12. Geeze twelve already. Anyway so yeah, some people weren't happy with me! But others were so I'm okay with that. Next chapter will be up soon enough.

It's been a horrible week. On Thursday I had my two hour long piano and voice lessons and then I had to finish my final project for religion that was due the next day. Plus the teacher gave us group projects due Friday as well. My friend had the nerve to say she had a heavier work load then me and that she was too busy to do it. I almost punched her. I just glared and wished for her to get struck by lightning. I looked at her and said, "You have all the fucking easy courses this semester. I have religion, history, science and English which have a lot of homework!" Plus I had to sing at an assembly on Friday so I was going to miss science so the teacher gave me my work ahead of time. I was up until 5:30! She got mad when I fell asleep while she was talking to me. When I finally woke up she went on and on about how she didn't like the way I'd formatted the project. I turned to my friend who was sitting a row away and said, "Someone's gunna die and we both know who." She laughed. I didn't.

Yours truly,

ForeverFalling.


	13. The Puzzle Known As

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Well I would like to thank all those who reviewed, you're all simply amazing. Everyone have a nice long weekend? So chapter 13! I feel bad...I've been neglecting my other story so badly and instead working on this one...I originally had a pattern. Two chapters of my other then two of this one...But I have a hard time just leaving a story after a cliff hanger...*Sigh*

**OVER 300 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**I ACCIDENTLY LOADED THIS CHAPTER TWICE SO NO, I DIDN'T UPLOAD TWO CHAPTERS...I THINK THAT MIGHT AFFECT ALERTS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER...HEH. WHOOPS?**

* * *

_Harry sighed, "We uh, just wanted to apologize for acting the way we have...and uh we were hoping we could start over and maybe be friends?" _

_Hitsugaya slowly nodded before excusing himself to go speak with the headmaster who had just arrived._

"_Well," he mumbled to himself as he made his way up to the head table. "That was convenient."_

* * *

Toshiro bit back a yawn when he easily transfigured his porcupine into a pin cushion and tried to pay attention to McGonagall's lesson.

Between the fatigue he was feeling from the lack of sleep and the warmth of the room his eyes were burning and begging for him to let them slip shut. His head was resting in his hand as the hum of the small conversations going on served as a song to lull him to sleep.

His eyes opened lazily as Neville nudged him, "Are you alright? You're looking a little pale...or well paler I suppose." He nodded as he yawned quietly into his sleeve. Dumbledore had been _nice_ enough to give him back his wand but apparently his vest and outer robe were no where to be found.

McGonagall had been giving him sparing glances throughout the class but otherwise she treated him as she would any other student. He had to admire her professionalism. "Are you sure you're alright?"

By now Potter and his friends had turned around to stare from their place in front of them. "Is there a reason why you've all decided to chat instead of paying attention to my instructions or practicing?"

They all turned to find McGonagall looming over them, a frown on her face. "S-sorry Professor," Neville stuttered as he quickly looked back to his work. "Mr. Hitsugaya, do you have anything to say for yourself? Falling asleep in my class is unacceptable."

He gave her a curt apology before looking up at her, "Do you mind if I step out for a moment? I've completed all of today's work and I'll only be a moment, I'm not feeling quite right."

She nodded before turning back to her desk. Several students stared as he slipped from the room and out into the hall. As soon as he shut the door behind him Toshiro heaved a sigh as he leaned against the wall taking in the feel of the cool stone against his skin.

The heat would surely be the death of him.

No one else seemed to mind the ungodly warmth while he suffered daily. The lone shinigami exhaled loudly as he made his way through the halls catching snippets of lessons through the open classroom doors.

He ran a hand through his white hair as he tried to cool himself down. He could hear some of his ex-housemates going on about the up coming quidditch match as they hurried along carrying a foaming cauldron. He personally had no interest in the sport.

While some might find riding tool used for cleaning while others tried to hit them with large balls in order to throw them off of said brooms to plummet to the ground at dangerous heights entertaining, he was hardly amused. It was pure lunacy.

He'd made his way to the outer halls that were open to the court yard and he began to relax in the open air. Potter had once offered to teach him how to play-he had a theory that the scarred teen was hoping for him to fall and break his leg-but he'd refused.

His mission was already being jeopardized the last thing he needed was to get side tracked.

The small taicho relished the feel of the cool autumn wind that blew in through the court yard. He could smell the forest and the grass along with the wood that must have been burning in Hagrid's fireplace. The entire world seemed to still for a moment as he took it all in.

For that one second, there was no mission, no Dumbledore. It was just him, breathing in the sweet air as it blew around him, tossing his hair. He made his way out into the court yard and sat down on one of the stone benches when the moment was ruined.

Ron's rat-scabs?-came sprinting through one of the doorways with Crookshanks running quickly after him. The taicho watched as Scabs dove into a crevice in the wall much too small for the overly large cat to get into.

Hitsugaya stared as the cat sat in wait for several minutes until finally giving up and trotting back into the school. The oddly named cat seemed to always be chasing after the rat for no apparent reason.

Toshiro stood quietly and kneeled down in front of where Scabs was hiding and waited for him to reappear. When the rodent finally crept from its hiding place the shinigami easily picked it up by its tail.

He stared into the beady black eyes as an odd feeling washed over him. There was an unnatural amount of magic surrounding Scabs' body and from what he knew of magic-which was admittedly little-animals weren't supposed to have magic. He noticed one of the rat's toes was missing and it looked as if it hadn't eaten in a while as he held it tightly in his hand.

"You're not the average rat now are you?"

Hitsugaya hissed and dropped Scabs before looking down at his hand to find a large bleeding wound. The rat had bitten him! He growled as he wiped the crimson liquid onto his pants, "With my luck I'll contract rabies."

The walk back to the class was a reluctant one and when he arrived he found most of the students still struggling to grasp the concept of the lesson. Neville looked up as he quietly sat back down avoiding Potter's glance and went about pretending to work on an essay he'd already finished.

It was a few minutes before the bell rang throughout the school signaling the end of class. The shinigami chattered idly with his friend while making sure to keep an eye on Potter. He might resent the mission he'd been handed by Dumbledore but that wouldn't stop him from doing it properly.

"Toshiro, what happened to your hand?" The boy in question looked up to find Hermione staring at said appendage. Soon everyone was staring and giving him worried glances. Ah, the perils of being labeled suicidal.

"A rat bit me, its fine."

She narrowed her eyes, "A rat?" He nodded as he continued walking, "I picked up Scabs and he bit me." Ron sped up to match his stride, "You mean Scabbers?!"

Toshiro shrugged, "I suppose so. I don't deem it necessary to memorize the names of people's pet rodents." Ron rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pant pockets, "Yeah well what was he doing?"

"He was hiding from Hermione's cat." The redhead stopped, "HA! See Hermione I told you that cat had it in for Scabbers!" The girl paid him no mind and continued to make her way towards Defense against the Dark Arts.

Ron grumbled, "She'll have to admit it sooner or later. That cats trying to kill Scabbers."

Toshiro began ignoring him and glanced away to find Luna waving to him as she made her way to Potions. He waved back, not paying attention to Ron for the rest of the trip down to the classroom.

Harry led them to one of the tables towards the middle and set his books down before taking his seat. The small taicho let his eyes search the room until he found where Neville was sitting and sat down beside his new friend.

The classroom door slammed open as Snape stormed in and stalked up to the front of the room. Whispers broke out as he fiddled with several things on Lupin's desk but they stopped immediately when he looked up, "Everyone turn to page three hundred-ninety four in the text book." Harry's hand shot up into the air, "But where's professor Lupin?"

The potions master glared, "Professor Lupin is unwell so I'll be taking over his classes. Page three hundred-ninety four."

"But Professor," Hermione spoke up "That section is on werewolves and we're just about to cover redcaps and –

"Page three hundred and ninety four!"

The sound of turning pages filled the room while Toshiro was busy already reading the assigned pages. As he read on he made a small noise in the back of his throat as he quickly realized what this was all about.

He looked up to find Snape going on about the difference between two things although he wasn't exactly sure what. He had to admire the way the man worked; most students would never pick up on what he was secretly trying to tell them.

The potions master caught his eye for a moment and they held each other's gaze before Snape looked away. Was it a warning to stay away from Lupin? Or maybe Snape was just trying to cause trouble for the kindly professor.

Either way, Hitsugaya decided it would be best to keep an eye on Lupin from that point on. The lesson continued and no one else seemed to pick up on Snape's hint except for him, but the taicho had a suspicion that Hermione too had come to the conclusion he had.

Everyone groaned as a long essay was assigned but Toshiro took it in stride, knowing it was nothing compared to his paperwork. With that thought in his head he had to wonder how Matsumoto and Kuchiki-taicho were faring.

He'd yet to receive a large pile of paperwork so he could only assume Kuchiki was holding up. But the question was for how long? It'd only been a few days and Matsumoto had the innate ability to drive anyone mad regardless of their normal mental state.

But then again, Kuchiki had to deal with Abarai everyday and the red head and his fukutaicho were cut from the same cloth... "—listening?"

Hitsugaya looked up to find Neville and the Potter trio staring at him, "I'm sorry, what were saying?" Neville looked at him concernedly, "The bell rang, its lunch."

The taicho nodded as he gathered his books and began making his way from the room. "You know you space out a lot," his friend sighed. Toshiro shrugged, "I've never noticed."

"Well I have. What are you always thinking about?" He turned to give Neville a small smile, "You don't want to know." The taller boy stared for a moment before shrugging.

Now that he was supposed to be guarding Harry Potter, Toshiro could no longer afford to go on walks through the grounds at lunch. This meant that there was no longer any avoiding the questioning glances or the odd stares when people saw he wasn't eating.

The taicho simply ignored the other student's looks and went about setting aside some small pieces of food and wrapping them in a napkin for Ran to eat later. The kitten had taken to disappearing off into the castle grounds during the day and only coming back in the evening for food and to slip into the Shinigami's bed to sleep.

Neville nudged him in the ribs as he folded the napkin, "You should eat something." Toshiro shrugged, "I will later. I'm not hungry at the moment."

Hermione looked up from her soup, "But you didn't eat breakfast. Or dinner yesterday. In fact I haven't seen you eat anything since I've met you and yet you're not wasting away. Sure you're as thin as a pole but you don't look sickly. Care to explain," she asked in a way that said she wasn't asking, she was demanding to be told.

Hitsugaya stopped short for a moment as most of the Gryffindor table looked at him wanting to hear an explanation. On the outside his face was blank and he was calm, on the inside he was quickly rattling through possible excuses.

"Food allergies."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, "Food allergies." He nodded, "Yes, I suffer from very severe food allergies." She stared, "But you're sitting right here, wouldn't you have a reaction?"

He shook his head, "They only affect me if I ingest the food; otherwise I'm fine." The entire table seemed to consider this before some broke out into nods or exclamations of 'oh', as if suddenly everything made sense. Harry furrowed his brow, "So...where do you eat exactly? In the kitchens?"

The taicho nodded, "I have special meals prepared and I eat them in the kitchens normally." Neville looked surprised, "So that's why you're never here—wait. So if you're here that means you don't get to have any lunch."

"Well I—

Neville cut him off, "Go eat! You shouldn't starve yourself just so you can sit here."

"I'm actually not hungry..." Harry stared, "But even if you do get special means I saw you here this morning, I spoke with you so you skipped breakfast too. You should go eat something."

Potter picked then to act like a friend. The snowy youth had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, "Really, I had a big dinner last night with Dumbledore in his office while we discussed my future here." He smirked inwardly; the trap was set, now he had to see if they took the bait.

"What about it?"

Oh, he could always count on Potter's inquisitive, bordering on nosey nature.

"We just spoke about what I would be doing for this year and what I'd be doing after it." Hermione frowned, "But, you transferred. That means you're finishing your schooling here."

He shrugged, "It all depends if my father is transferred again. If he is, it's my decision to either move with him or stay here." Neville looked up from his sandwich, "Is he living close by?"

"Close enough."

"So you'll be spending the holidays with him then?" Hitsugaya thought for a moment. It would be convenient to go back to Soul Society and check on things but he highly doubted Dumbledore would let him. There would be no way to guarantee his return. "It depends on his schedule, but I might."

Harry nodded, "So what does your mum do?" Toshiro caught Neville giving Harry a look from the corner of his eye and Potter mouthed, "What?" Neville shook his head and the glasses wearing teen seemed to get the message, "Actually uh...I...how about the... weather?"

Toshiro could have laughed, he didn't, but he could have. "The weather is...getting nicer."

Ron grumbled into his glass of pumpkin juice, "Are you bloody mad? It's getting cold."

---

Harry leaned over to grab the pitcher of juice as Hitsugaya spoke to Ron about the weather. He was a little embarrassed that that had been the only idea he'd had. Maybe if he hadn't been under so much pressure he'd have come up with something better but he'd just spit out the first thing that came to mind.

The mystery that was Toshiro Hitsugaya was slowly unraveling, if only a little. His father was a military man-maybe even a muggle?-who was transferred often and Hitsugaya suffered from terrible allergies which explained the no eating in the hall. The story about his hair and eyes was still unknown and apparently there was something about his mother, or so he'd gathered from Neville's flailing.

He knew better to ask though, after all he knew what it was like to have something happen to a parent and he didn't appreciate people prying into _his_ life. He'd ask Neville later.

After being around Hitsugaya for the day he'd gotten some insight into what type of person he was. He didn't seem to enjoy speaking with people, well except for Neville and he spaced out a lot. But he was as smart as, if not smarter than Hermione and he seemed to have nothing bad to say about people, but if he did he kept them to himself.

He didn't laugh a lot either, in fact he never did. But he'd smile on occasion. It wasn't a big one or anything but he smiled when he was talking to the blonde Ravenclaw and Neville. It was like in order for him to open up at all you had to gain his trust. He also seemed to go for the odd ones.

Maybe it was because to most people _he_ was an odd one.

He caught small parts of the almost one sided conversation between the white haired boy and Ron. Hitsugaya had very little to say but it was clear enough that he loved the cold. Harry considered that for a moment and then remembered when they'd gone to check on the boy and found all the windows had been thrown open.

There'd also been several occasions, like in Divination when he'd seemed downright sick until they'd all escaped out into the cooler hallways. Maybe during his travels he'd grown accustomed to cooler climates? But there was still the fact that at points cold seemed to almost...emanate from the boy's body.

At times he could feel it rolling off of the small body. When he thought about it...with the white hair, fare skin, and eyes, the boy was practically the embodiment of cold and ice.

Harry shook his head before looked up as he drank his juice. Ron and Hermione were bickering over one thing or another while Neville was chattering with Hitsugaya. The transfer student was quiet for the most part but would give his input now and again or nod his agreement.

An odd one he might be, but he was no jinx like some still seemed to believe. He'd read up on some of the old stories where superstitions like that had some from and it was true; Hitsugaya fit the bill visually. Some stories were fairly recent, maybe a hundred years old give or take and they almost described the boy to a tee.

But, they also said that the person was invisible to almost everyone and brought death and destruction everywhere they went. Except for Neville's occasional accident there had been no destruction and there had definitely been no deaths in the school.

Harry was called from his thoughts as Ron punched him in the shoulder, "Come on Harry quit your day dreaming. We have to go get our books for Care of Magical Creatures."

The scarred boy nodded as he stood. Hitsugaya waited for Neville to finish his lunch before they began heading to Gryffindor tower together. Harry watched as they all walked together making sure to still pay attention to what Ron was telling him. Hitsugaya was interesting to say the least. He was a walking puzzle that seemed almost impossible to completely solve.

But he'd always loved a good challenge


	14. Encounter

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope. This update was a little delayed because of school and I had to update my other story and I had a problem writing that chapter...but now its up!

* * *

_Hitsugaya was interesting to say the least. He was a walking puzzle that seemed almost impossible to completely solve. _

_But he'd always loved a good challenge_.

* * *

Time skips ahoy.

* * *

It'd been weeks since he'd arrived at Hogwarts-it was already October- and Toshiro was beginning to get frustrated.

He felt caged, stuck not only in his gigai but also in the school and its routine. He'd always preferred things to be orderly and he'd gotten by in the Academy but he'd discovered he didn't appreciate being stuck in the same rooms day after day learning things he knew he'd never use again. He'd much rather have been out gathering information or even back in Soul Society doing paperwork.

He'd been forcing himself to respond to idiotic questions and suffering in the company of ignorant children and he had a feeling his IQ had suffered. The only relief he received was during lunch when he was finally alone or sometimes when he was in the company of Luna Lovegood or Neville Longbottom.

Both seemed to understand him on a level others didn't. He enjoyed silence; it was simple enough to understand; the less talking the better. He didn't enjoy being surrounded by people constantly nor did he like the heat.

Simple things but they made all the difference with the lone Shinigami.

He couldn't be positive but maybe it was the magic in the air finally getting to him, the constant ache that it caused in his head was finally driving him insane like he thought only Matsumoto could. He'd found himself quickly losing interest in what others were saying, and he rarely paid much attention to lessons anymore; not that he'd ever needed to.

And as if to make matters worse Dumbledore had him on a short leash. All of these things added to his cage, to the resentment he was beginning to feel towards the wizards. He could only take solace in the fact that autumn had finally arrived and brought with it the cool weather.

Every morning there was as thin layer of frost spread across the lawns and the trees had begun to change bringing splashes of colour to the grounds. Hitsugaya sighed as he made his way down to the edge of the forest for Hagrid's class with Neville at his side.

Other students continued to give him questioning looks for the sole reason that while they were bundled up in winter cloaks and gloves; he remained in his thin outer robe and regular uniform.

If he'd been in a better mood he might have considered pulling on the thick cloak that was still in the bottom of his trunk. But, considering the dark mood or 'funk' as Hermione had referred to it, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't going to ruin the beautiful weather, weather he was finally comfortable in, by overheating and making himself feel sicker then he already did.

He'd become accustomed to the constant drain that the Dementors had on him but that didn't mean that he by any means enjoyed it. He'd yet to lay eyes upon the creatures since the 'incident' with Dumbledore in the dungeons and it was beginning to frustrate the taicho. He was supposed to be conducting an investigation and yet he had the headmaster, other students and his classes hindering him.

Neville finally seemed to give into his curiosity, "Aren't you cold? It must be ten degrees out." Toshiro shrugged, "I don't really mind it."

His friend nodded before silence once again fell upon them. When the lesson began the taicho made sure to stay towards the back of the class not wanting to deal with a new annoyance that had appeared that went by the name of Draco Malfoy who he'd formerly thought to be named McCoy.

The snide blonde had decided within the last week that his new mission was to try and piss off the Shinigami. First it'd started with the bulimic and suicidal jokes, and then he'd moved onto his hair and eyes before deciding he'd make cracks about how small the white haired youth was.

Toshiro had yet to be really offended, actually Neville seemed to take more offence to the remarks more then he did, but it was still irritating.

As the class continued Hitsugaya stared off into the depths of the forest letting Hagrid's booming voice fade into the back of his mind. It would be so easy to just slip away from the school that seemed to be suffocating him.

He could open a gate and go home and yell at Matsumoto for getting nothing done and step back into his regular role. But, this was his mission he wouldn't fail it. The Tenth Division Taicho was no failure and never would be if he could help it.

"Well if it isn't the old man," came a snide drawl from behind him and Toshiro rolled his eyes. The white haired taicho turned his head slightly and nodded towards the teen, "Malfoy."

The blonde seemed slightly put off that he hadn't responded to his –completely unoriginal- insult. The Slytherin had become too used to Potter's quick temper. Malfoy turned to Neville, "I'm surprised Longbottom. I thought even _you_ would have the sense not to hang around with freaks like him," he spat.

Neville glared as he seemed to stutter for a moment as he tried to come up with a response. "Nothing to say Longbottom? Hn. Useless as always I see."

Toshiro glared at the blonde before turning on his heel and walking away but not before grabbing Neville's elbow and dragging him along. The taller teen continued to mumble on despite the fact that he was no longer facing his tormentor.

Toshiro quirked an eyebrow as he watched his friend, practically red in the face, continue to bumble on, "Neville." He received no response except for what sounded like a choking duck.

"Neville."

He could feel his temper rising; he really wasn't in the mood for this. The temperature was dropping as his frustration built, "NEVILLE."

The boy finally seemed to snap out of it and had the sense to look rather ashamed.

"He's gone."

Neville nodded and turned to listen to what Hagrid was saying while avoiding looking at either Toshiro or Malfoy.

Today's lesson was about an odd creature that liked to hide in bushes and jump out to eat unsuspecting people's shoes.

Hitsugaya's thoughts began to wander and he vaguely wondered if he should see Madam Pomfrey for a headache remedy. The sharp pain behind his eyes was really beginning to affect him. He ran a hand over the teal orbs as they continued to burn.

"Are you alright Toshiro," Hermione asked as she appeared by his side. "You've seemed unwell as of late."

He nodded, "I'm fine. A headache is all."

"You should try going to..." the rest of her suggestion seemed to fade off into the background as he focused more on the lesson and tried to let the coolness sooth his head. From what he'd heard there was a trip coming up for those in third year and above.

That would be the perfect opportunity to work on his mission. It wouldn't be hard to find a Dementor; Dumbledore had warned they were stationed at the school gates. Potter had been complaining for days that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the village about a mile from the gates so he maybe he could work something out with the headmaster so he could 'take the day off'.

Ron had also mentioned a shack that was apparently haunted and he knew he should check it out and exercise any lingering souls.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to find Harry looking at him rather concernedly, "Are you alright?" It was like they were trying to set a record for how many times they could ask him that same question in a single day.

"Yes," he replied exasperatedly "I'm fine."

"Really," he asked "Because class has been over for five minutes."

Toshiro glanced around, "Ah, so it has."

The glasses wearing teen stared at him, "You've been acting odd for the past few days. Something on your mind?"

Hitsugaya shook his head, "No, I've just been...feeling off, I suppose."

Harry nodded, "Well if you start feeling really sick you should go to the hospital wing. Maybe you should lie down for the rest of the day?"

He shook his head, "No, I'll be fine. You should head back for lunch."

Potter looked towards the castle, "Are you coming too?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here for a while. The fresh air is doing wonders for my headache."

Harry looked rather hesitant to leave but agreed and began heading back. It felt odd to have Potter looking out for him, but he supposed it meant he was doing his mission properly and getting close to the boy.

Once he was sure no one would see him Hitsugaya made his was closer to the forest. He had no desire to go back into the castle and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore the forest and figure out why exactly it was 'forbidden'.

He walked past the tree line and stopped to pull out his gikongan which he had taken to carrying around in the folds of his robes. He quickly swallowed the soul pill and instantly a feeling of relief washed over him.

He felt himself slip free from the confines of the artificial body with ease and even though the hum of the magic in the back of his head increased he was already more relaxed.

Toshiro rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms as his muscles began to loosen before looking back to his body that was now occupied by a mod soul. He'd always found it rather eerie to look at his gigai when he wasn't in it.

"You're going to stay here and stay out of sight. I don't want anyone knowing you're here. Understood?"

The soul nodded before plopping down underneath one of the large trees.

Hitsugaya stared into the dark forest before setting out into the trees. The only sound he could hear was the crunch of the dried grass, leaves and twigs under his feet as he continued and he found it all together odd. Most forests were filled with the sounds of animals and woodland creatures and yet...it was silent.

He followed a non-existent path that only he could see and made his way deeper into the forest. When he found a large enough clearing the taicho unsheathed Hyorinmaru relishing the feel of it once again in his hand.

He'd be far enough for the castle that he could get some practice in without disturbing or alerting anyone. He listened for one more minute trying to make sure no wild life would interfere with his routine and exhaled as he tried to calm his heart.

Just as he began to run through his regular movements a sound to his right warned him of something's presence. He stilled and strained his ears as he tried to hear over the rustle of the leaves in the wind and his own beating heart. There was another moment of nothing before the sound of something cutting through the air caught his attention.

He turned around as an arrow embedded itself in the trunk of the tree next to him and several men appeared bows at the ready. Hitsugaya stared for a moment before he realized that the men in front of him weren't men per say; they were centaurs.

Hagrid had mentioned at one time or another that an entire herd lived within the borders of the forest but from what he'd understood they were the type that liked to keep to themselves.

He stared at the odd half men before one stepped forward from among the ten. His upper body was rather well built and he had a dark brown coat the blended in with the trees around them. The man cleared his throat before addressing him, "You who walks with death, you should make leave of our forest or suffer."

The taicho remained stoned faced, "Are advising me or ordering me?" The man stared, "We may only advise a being such as you. You are young and naïve, you know not of what lurks within the shadows."

Histugaya stared as he replaced Hyorinmaru on his back and the men returned the favour by lowering their bows, "Would you care to enlighten me?"

The man smirked, "We _all_ seek enlightenment. But you must be aware of the monsters that have been brought here by the wizards. If you're not cautious, they'll devour you child. The night sky speaks of danger; war is on the horizon as the dog banes to the moon."

The centaur's eyes darkened, "You are not of this world. Do not let your soul become bound to a war that is not your own."

The Shinigami gave a bitter smile, "I'm afraid it's much too late for that."

The half man bowed his head, "I see. Such a shame. Beware little one," he warned as the others slowly disappeared into the trees. "Trouble is stalking ever closer, do not let your eyes be blinded by the intents of others."

Hitsugaya nodded, "Thank you. I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

He bowed to the man respectfully and when he looked back up he was gone. Toshiro straightened as he stared into the forest's depths. It seemed as if he wasn't the only one with a bad feeling about the wizarding world.

He sighed as he released some of his reiatsu to cool the increasingly warm air. Even in the shade of the tree tops it seemed to be getting hotter. He strode back through the forest towards where he'd left his gigai rather quickly seeing as he shouldn't be late for class.

The trek back to the tree line was once again a quiet one, almost creepily so. The only creatures he spotter other then the centaurs were the strange horse like animals that seemed so taken with him. Five of them followed him as he made his way back to his gigai.

When he finally cleared the forest he found the mod soul occupying his body fast asleep leaning against the tree trunk where he'd left him. The taicho gave a quiet cough and the soul awoke before quickly jumping to its feet. "Thank you for watching my body. That will be all," Toshiro said as he stepped back into his gigai.

He flexed his fingers and stretched out his arms as he once again got used to the feel of the fake body before beginning the rather long walk back to the castle. The odd horse creatures stayed hidden in the shadows but he could feel their eyes on his back and silently promised that he'd visit them again.

When he arrived at the castle door Toshiro made sure to brush off any stray dirt and straighten his robes before slipping past the large doors. It appeared as if he'd arrived just in time as students began flooding out of the Hall chattering idly as they began making their way towards their respective dorms.

"Toshiro!"

Said teen turned to find Hermione waving as she made her way towards him with Harry and Ron in tow. "How was your—

She gave him an odd look for a moment, "Why on earth is there dirt on your face?"

"Dirt," he asked feigning ignorance. She nodded as she reached out with her sleeve and brushed something off of his forehead, "Yes. How on earth did you manage that? Did you trip or something?"

The taicho shrugged, "I was outside and my foot got caught on a root."

She looked like she wanted to say something more when Ron who had been looking impatient spoke up, "Look, dirt is all well and good but if we're late Sprout is going to skin us alive."

---

As the days until the trip into the local village, Hogsmead –what was with wizards and their ridiculous names?-was apparently the name according to Hermione, slipped away students were beginning to get excited.

There was a constant murmur in the halls about what they were going to buy, what places they needed to visit and so forth. Potter on the other hand, Toshiro had noticed was becoming more and more sullen.

"Oh Harry get over it," Hermione huffed as they sat around the table for dinner. "Toshiro's not going and look at him."

Said boy stopped his tracing of the stains on the table as all eyes fell on him. The white haired youth simply nodded and hummed not really having any opinion on the matter.

"See look," Ron smiled as he clapped Harry on the back. "Even Hitsugaya's in a better mood then you!"

Toshiro gave him a withering look but otherwise remained silent. He personally wanted Potter to stay in the school but at the same time he was quite interested in the 'Shrieking Shack' he'd heard so much about. Dumbledore had insisted that he watch Harry when he'd asked about the possibility of not staying back during the trip so there would be no sneaking off to work while Potter did something on his own.

But between the choice of following the glasses wearing teen around a significantly less full school or through crowds of overly excited children, he'd choose the former.

"Look Potter," the taicho finally spoke up, "You can't go. It's not the end of the world as we know it. I'm sure you'll recover."

Harry shot him a glare, "Yeah well, why the hell aren't you going? _Daddy_ not sign your form?"

Toshiro rolled his eyes as he rested his chin in his hand, "I don't think _you're_ one to be talking about parents. But if you must know, he didn't."

He sighed inwardly; next thing he knew he'd be the bulimic, albino, suicidal, _military brat_. Wonderful.

Hermione elbowed her friend as she shot him a glare, "You two can stop this right now before it gets out of hand."

Harry huffed but nodded while Toshiro remained indifferent. He wasn't in the mood to deal with childishness.

Neville smiled from his place beside the transfer student, "Don't worry I'll make sure to bring you something back Toshiro."

The snowy haired shinigami gave his friend a small smile, "I would appreciate that but you really shouldn't waste any of your money on me."

"Oh, it's no trouble really," the taller Gryffindor responded as he sipped his juice. "So Harry, how's training for the upcoming match going?"

The conversation took a more light hearted turn as everyone began discussing the quidditch match against Ravenclaw that would take place soon. It had been the talk of the two houses for weeks and as they drew nearer taunts were flying and long team practices were occurring at least twice a week.

Toshiro bit back a yawn as he let the conversation flow on without him. Lately his energy levels seemed to be plummeting and seeing as he had to watch Potter he couldn't go to bed before his ward turned in.

"Are you tired already," Ron asked as he swallowed down an inhuman amount of ham.

The Shinigami shrugged as he ran a cool hand over his burning eyes, "Not really."

The red head rolled his eyes as he grabbed a bun from across the table, "If you're tired you should just head up to bed. You don't have to stay up with us if you don't want to. Some people just can't hack it."

Hitsugaya glared, "I assure you I can 'hack' it just fine."

"Ron's right you know," Hermione confirmed as she sliced into a Yorkshire pudding "If you're tired you should sleep. Some people need the extra time; it'd be bad for your health to force yourself to stay awake."

Toshiro ignored her as they all continued to eat their dinner. He'd been glad to discover that his 'friends' didn't make a fuss about him skipping his so called dinner in the kitchens anymore. They seemed to have accepted the fact that he'd go off and eat-or so they thought-if he wanted to.

"So have you started your dream diary," Neville asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head, "Not really. I've just been writing in whatever I feel like truth be told."

Harry grinned, "That's what we've been doing as well."

---

The day of the trip had finally arrived and those who were heading into Hogsmead left just after breakfast which left Toshiro alone with a very sullen looking Harry Potter. Dumbledore had politely refused his request of going into the village with the other students a second time but he couldn't say he hadn't expected it.

But the taicho had found out something he'd completely forgotten. The days seemed to have slipped away from him like sand through his fingers. It was October 31st; all Hallows Eve, or as the living had taken to calling it the last several decades Halloween.

The castle had been decorated in the traditional black and orange while giant carved pumpkins were set around the great hall.

Hitsugaya settled into one of the comfortable arm chairs that were set in the common room as Ran was sprawled out in his lap. The kitten had grown quickly in the time that Toshiro had had him and was now the length of his forearm. He enjoyed curling up with his master and Toshiro liked it as well. It was rather calming to stroke the kitten's soft fur as he sat near the windows where the draft kept him cool.

The common room was mostly empty except for a few older students who seemed to have gotten over the excitement of traveling to the village. Potter had disappeared back into their room after Hermione and Ron had bid him goodbye but Toshiro didn't mind.

Silence was a beautiful thing.

He stared out the window and enjoyed the view of the forest and the changing trees. Hagrid was chopping wood beside his cabin while he'd earlier been tending to him pumpkin patch.

Hitsugaya would never admit it...but he was rather interested in the festivities. Not that he would participate. He was curious about the holiday though. It seemed similar to the Obon Festival he remembered celebrating as a child.

Although there were similarities this celebration seemed to be more commercial then the Obon festivities. Obon was meant to honour the dead, at time when you visited your ancestor's graves yet everyone here seemed more concerned about sweets and costumes.

He vaguely recalled going to the festivals as a small child with his hand firmly grasped by one of his parents though their faces had long faded. The problem with living so long was that the mind eventually forgot things. To top it off he was still young when compared to the other souls in back in Soul Society. What would it be like after another hundred or so years had passed?

Memories faded and faces blurred and yet time still stretched on.

"Toshiro."

Said taicho turned to find that Harry had reappeared from within the confines of his room, "Yes?"

The glasses wearing teen stared out of the window as he sat down in the chair on the out side of the frame, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing really. I've just been thinking."

"Oh, about what," he asked as he settled into the arm chair. It was at moments like these where he didn't mind Potter's company all that much. When he wasn't acting hot headed or sullen he could be a very contemplative person.

"Life I suppose."

The scarred boy smiled, "I tend to do that a lot as well."

"Hn. Something we have in common then."

---

Surprisingly the day seemed to flow by rather quickly and Toshiro had spent a good amount of time talking with Harry in front of the window. They'd spoken about everything from their home lives –Toshiro almost felt guilty for lying- to their opinions on life and just how the world worked in general.

It was actually enjoyable and before they knew it they realized they'd missed lunch and the others would be arriving back soon.

They'd made their way down to the entrance hall together in relative silence, but it was a comfortable one not awkward with the feelings of a forced truce like it previously would have been. Harry arched his neck as he tried to catch a glimpse of his friends through the crowd of returning students,

"Do you think they enjoyed it?"

Hitsugaya nodded, "Most likely. It seemed like quite the interesting place from what I'd heard."

"True," Harry replied as he gave up looking. "I really wish I'd gotten to go."

"As do I. But I have a feeling neither of us will being going."

The Boy Who Lived had told him all about the Dursleys and he highly doubted such people would ever do their nephew a favour.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But maybe your dad will sign your form for next year."

Toshiro shrugged, "I don't know. But I might not be coming back."

Harry stared, "You mentioned something about that before but I didn't think you were serious. Don't you like it here?"

"Its fine I suppose but I...I'm needed somewhere else. I can't be away for too long, this is quite the absence as it is."

Harry considered this for a moment, "I guess that makes sense. But you should really come back if you can."

Toshiro nodded, "Yes. If I can."

"Harry! Toshiro!"

Harry waved over to his friends, "Hey guys!"

Hermione and Ron seemed taken back by his rather good mood but smiled and quickly made their way over. Their cheeks were tinted pink from the cold but otherwise they seemed fine.

"So how was it," Harry asked.

"It was bloody brilliant Harry! I wish you could have come. There's this shop called Honeyduke's and it's got every kind of sweet imaginable! And The Three Broomsticks was great. There was this woman there, what a looker!"

The two friends went off into the main hall chattering happily leaving Toshiro with Hermione.

She smiled, "What did you do?"

"What are you talking about," He asked as they began making their way after the duo.

"You know what I mean," She laughed "Harry was in the worst mood I've seen in weeks and after one day with you he's suddenly all chipper. What did you do Toshiro Hitsugaya," she asked playfully.

He shrugged, "We just talked. It was...nice."

She hummed, "Well you're going to have to talk with him a lot more because you both seem a lot better then you have in a while."

He gave her a small smile as he spotted Ron's bright hair down near the end of the table.

"I've been kind of worried about you," She confessed. "You're our friend now and we're supposed to look out for each other and you've seemed off lately. I mean you've always got a headache and you've seemed so tired lately...I'm just...worried."

"It's the weather," he assured "The heat gets to me."

"Well have you been sleeping well? You're always yawning or look like your about to fall asleep."

He shrugged, "I tire easily."

She looked at him for a moment, "Between your allergies, problems with heat and now this whole thing with you being tired constantly, you're just loaded with health issues aren't you?"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm perfectly healthy thank you."

They sat down and she laughed, "Oh don't worry Toshiro I won't tell anyone that you're actually a delicate little thing."

"I am not small nor am I delicate."

Ron snorted and elbowed him jokingly, "Listen to 'Mione mate. She's always right."

"Well there's a first time for everything because she is most defiantly wrong."

The conversation continued on until Dumbledore delivered his address to the school and the ghosts all put on a small show of air acrobatics and tricks they'd picked up over the years.

"Toshiro aren't you going to head over to the kitchens? You didn't eat lunch," Harry said as he passed Ron a bowl of licorice.

"I will later," he answered "I'm not hungry at the moment."

Ron stared at him like he was insane, "Sometimes you scare me. You never eat and yet you wonder why people say you have an eating disorder."

"I don't wonder. I refuse to waste my time on such ludicrous accusations."

"Ludicrous he says."

The feast continued on for several hours during which time Ron ate a disgustingly large amount of candy to a point where just watching him made most feel queasy.

"I'm going to head back," The shinigami stood.

"Are you heading to bed," Hermione asked in a mothering tone.

He sighed, "Not yet. You'll all be coming back soon as well?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah in about five minutes I guess."

Toshiro began heading back. Five minutes should be fine. He could let Potter out of his sight for five minutes. The teachers were still in the room and so were hundreds of students; nothing could happen.

He left the over loud great hall and found that the rest of the school was more or less empty. He patted his pocket to make sure the scraps of turkey he'd wrapped in a napkin for Ran were still there before he began heading in the direction of the portrait hole.

The taicho heard a crash of thunder and looked outside the nearest window to find a thunderstorm brewing. The sky had almost taken on a green sheen as lightning flashed violently over the lake. He stopped for a moment. Something was wrong. A sense of uneasiness had settled over him. Hitsugaya concentrated for a moment focusing on the familiar flow of magic that enveloped him.

Something....was in the castle. Something that didn't belong.

He let the feeling guide him as he began running full tilt towards Gryffindor tower. A few students that had left the feast stared as he passed.

"Did you just see—

Toshiro ignored them as he practically flew up the stairs.

"Damn," he cursed when the staircase he was on began moving. Another set of stairs shifted towards the floor he needed and he eyed it carefully. He huffed as he climbed onto the banister.

"Holy hell! Is that that Hitsugaya kid up there?" a student asked his friend from the bottom floor as they looked up.

He took a deep breath before easily jumping down onto the stairs he needed and began racing up them to the doorway.

"Bloody hell! The kid's more insane then everyone says he is! Let's get Caleb! Come on I wanna see where he's going!"

The feeling was getting worse and Toshiro swore as he pulled out his gikongan and popped the soul pill into his mouth. He quickly turned to the mod soul occupying his gigai as he stretched his arms,

"Don't let yourself be seen. I can't have anyone seeing you."

The soul nodded and looked around for a moment before staring at the waiting taicho.

"In here," Toshiro growled impatiently as he shoved the mod soul into a small entrance to a hallway and pushed a suit of armor to block it.

"Not exactly subtle but it'll have to do."

The soul nodded as the white haired boy sped off towards the portrait hole. The feeling was getting stronger, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Now that he was getting closer he could sense something else.

It was a soul...but it was damaged, not like a Hollow's but torn and frayed, faded.

He skidded around a corner and found himself staring at a filthy looking man. He seemed to be arguing with the Fat Lady and as if he sensed that he was being watched turned to face Toshiro.

The man looked him over, "Who—what the hell are you," he rasped as he pulled a dagger from a pocket within his tattered pants.

The Shinigami analyzed the man's movements. They were almost animalistic and yet he looked rather weak in build.

"I could ask you the same question."

The man smiled revealing yellowed teeth as he advanced, "Ah yes my boy but I'm afraid I asked you first."

"I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. I'm In charge of security around here I suppose you could say and I take it you're Sirius Black. I've been waiting for this," Toshiro growled as he unsheathed Hyorinmaru.

Black paled slightly at the sight of the katana before steadying himself, "Do you think you're going to _kill_ me kid? Do you even know how to handle that thing?"

Hitsugaya smirked, "Now I can't give you all the answers now can I?"

Black snarled as he lunged forward attempting the grab the taicho. He easily dodged it and ran towards the man with Hyorinmaru raised. Black dropped to the ground like a rock in an attempt to avoid the blow.

The blade plunged into his shoulder and he gave a yell as the blood began dripping down to the floor. Frost bite began to form on the skin and ice began working its way into the wound damaging and ripping through the tissues as it did.

"You've got the wrong guy kid," he rasped as he gripped Hyorinmaru with his dirty hands.

Toshiro remained stone faced as he ruthlessly pulled the katana from the man's shoulder, "You're Sirius Black correct?"

"Well yeah—

"Then I've got the right man."

"Of course he's the right man," The Fat Lady yelled. "Get him boy get him!"

"I have to agree with her."

"But-but wait," Sirius stuttered as he struggled to get to his feet "Hear me out."

Toshiro sighed, "This is nothing personal. I'm under orders to protect Harry Potter and apprehend you if possible and kill you if need be."

"You're serious?"

"Quite."

"Well...in that case," The scraggly man seemed to almost fold in on himself as fur began to burst from his skin.

"What the hell," the Shinigami growled as a large dog suddenly bowled him over, throwing him against the Fat Lady who screeched and went tearing down the hallway.

Toshiro shook his head as his eyes refocused after he'd slammed his head against the stone wall as the Fat Lady continued to scream and yell practically hysterical. He turned to find the canvas of her painting torn from the dog's— Blacks' claws.

Hitsugaya swore quietly as he took off in the direction that the criminal had went. The transformation had caught him off guard. It wouldn't happen again.

He needed to avoid the crowd of people that the painting's screeches were sure to draw so he picked up his pace until he was running full out, his cloak billowing out behind him as he went.

"TOSHIRO!"

He slid to a stop on the stone floor. Harry, Ron and Hermione were staring at him as were several other Gryffindors behind them.

"What's going on," Harry asked "Everyone's saying something about The Fat Lady being attacked by Sirius Black."

Potter stopped for a moment, "Wait, is that a sword?! What—what the hell are you wearing?"

It hit Toshiro then. Black had looked at him, spoken with him as had the Fat Lady and now Harry and the others. He wasn't in his gigai and yet they could see him.

"Toshiro what exactly is going on?"

* * *

Dear Readers,

Okay, so the next chapter won't be out until after exams alright? (After the 19th). I've got four this term and my science mark isn't as high as I'd like it so I'm going to have to study my ass off. I'm going for an 86. A nice number. My favourite number. But hell, higher would be nice too.

Any of you seen the new Harry Potter trailer? Sends chills down my spine :P

So anyway good luck to everyone on your exams I hope you all do very well.

**To my fellow procrastinators lets all study hard....eventually!**

ForeverFalling.


	15. Lady Luck

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope. Well exams are done and it's finally summer! All I need now is a job...maybe I'll apply to the library. Anyway, my exams went pretty well I must say. My grade went up in every class so everything worked out. My average wound up being 83.7 (yeah, freaking .7 what the hell? It's called rounding) which is better then last semester because math and French dragged me down...still I could have done better. I'm just so lazy! I'll admit it! I'm horrible. I hate studying and projects are a pain...

Thanks to all those who reviewed, damn there were a lot of you. But...I guess that was a pretty huge cliff hanger. Heh. I love to make you suffer :P

**SO! I know I already thanked you guys but I just want to say the reviews really do mean **_**a lot**_** to me. I really appreciate every single one and I just want to say THANK YOU so very much because you're all great. For those of you who have posted stories you know what I'm talking about. I can't thank you all enough for your support and just...THANKS. I don't really know how to truly articulate my feelings on this but I hope you understand how grateful I am to you all. **

_

* * *

_

_He slid to a stop on the stone floor. Harry, Ron and Hermione were staring at him as were several other Gryffindors behind them. _

"_What's going on," Harry asked "Everyone's saying something about The Fat Lady being attacked by Sirius Black." _

_Potter stopped for a moment, "Wait, is that a sword?! What—what the hell are you wearing?"_

_It hit Toshiro then. Black had looked at him, spoken with him as had the Fat Lady and now Harry and the others. He wasn't in his gigai and yet they could see him. _

"_Toshiro what exactly is going on?" _

_

* * *

_

Hitsugaya stared for a moment as his brain rattled off possible excuses. The students continued to stare at him as they started to whisper to one another. Hermione stepped forward, "Toshiro...why are you wearing that?"

"Its...ceremonial...," he started not sure what he should say. Should he lie? Should he just ignore them and go after Black and play clean up later? The later seemed to be the best option, "Look I'll explain later just go...wherever it is you go in emergencies."

The Taicho took off down the hall ignoring Potter's and several other people's calls. He knew the annoying teen would probably follow after him but that was the least of his problems.

The Shinigami tried to concentrate on tracking Black's movements as he sprinted through the halls and ignored the odd looks and shouts. He could feel the fugitive's soul moving through the halls and out through the doors ahead of him and quickly shunpo'ed to where he estimated Black to be.

He appeared just near the border of the forest some ways off from Hagrid's hut as the rain pounded into the earth. The dog skidded to a stop at the sight of the white haired boy appearing in front of him and quickly shifted back to his human form, "Just what the bloody hell are you? You can't be human!"

Toshiro unsheathed Hyorinmaru as he stared the man down, "That's of no concern to you. You are unarmed, stand down." The rain that been falling turned to snow as his eyes glowed in the darkness.

"I'm telling you, you've got the wrong man. This is all a giant misunderstanding, I didn't murder those people!"

"I am not here to determine your guilt or innocence; I am simply here to apprehend you."

"Please," the man pleaded "Just give me a chance. I promise I can prove to everyone that I didn't do it. Peter, he's still alive! He's been hiding this entire— Oh God."

Black stopped as he paled and his frail frame began to tremble. Hitsugaya stepped towards the man only to fall to his knees as his lungs began to seize up. His strength was suddenly gone and darkness crept into his vision even as he tried to blink it away.

"Dementors," Black breathed as he stared down at the taicho. "They're coming for me."

Hitsugaya grit his teeth as he struggled to stand, "I suggest you come with me before they take your soul."

"Come with you," Sirius laughed as he looked down at his would be captor "You can barely stand kid." Toshiro tried to force his lungs to work as he used Hyorinmaru to support himself.

His assignment from Dumbledore was to capture Black but his mission from Soul Society took priority and his orders were to protect the souls of the living. He couldn't stand by and let the man's soul be eaten by the creatures; it would go against everything the Gotai thirteen stood for. "Run," he wheezed.

Black stared, "What you're not going to threaten me? Try to 'apprehend' me? What happened to that cocky attitude of yours?"

"Just go," Toshiro growled as he finally stood, if unsteadily "Or else they'll consume your soul which is something I cannot allow." The wind rustled the leaves of the trees and ripped at their hair and Black shivered in his tattered rags, "Whatever you want kid."

He shifted back into the form of a dog and took off into the trees as Toshiro began trudging back to the castle. He could feel his strength being slowly drained as the Dementors neared. He found himself shivering, something he hadn't done since he was alive as the castle came into sight.

The taicho fell to the ground as his legs gave out and his lungs refused to work properly. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as a sucking, rattling sound met his ears. He'd heard many things in his time, screams of the wounded, the sound of metal cutting through flesh, of blood splattering the grass but he'd never heard something so eerie, something so foreboding. It seemed to echo through his body.

The white haired shinigami broke out in a cold sweat as the sound got louder, seemed to multiply.

They were coming for him.

He growled as he forced his protesting body to its feet. The world spun dangerously as the Dementors swept towards him barely visible under the cover of night. Hitsugaya swore as he stood shakily. The creatures were flying towards him from the east, the same direction from which the wind was coming.

Toshiro exhaled heavily as he tried to steady himself and calm his pounding heart, "Sit upon the frozen heavens! Hyorinmaru!"

He relished the feel of the zanpakuto in his hand. The air surrounding him began to cool but instead of the harsh cold the Dementors enveloped him in this cold was comforting, familiar. The ground beneath his feet began to freeze as he readied himself and the black shrouded Dementors glided towards him on the wind.

He slashed the katana to the side sending the ice dragon towards the incoming creatures. He huffed, his breathe coming in wisps of white as the Dementors went crashing to the ground, frozen through.

Some shattered on impact while the other sunk into the soft ground. Whatever control of his body that he had quickly disappeared and the taicho was forced to the ground as the darkness he'd been fighting off flooded his vision.

As he lay on the ice covered grass, Hyorinmaru still loosely clutched in his hand he could vaguely hear someone calling his name. Someone was shaking him but he couldn't find the strength to open his eyes and see who. He felt a finger press to his pulse point before a pair of strong arms lifted him from the ground and gently pried Hyorinmaru from his hand...

* * *

Harry stared after the white haired transfer his mouth open as he struggled to find something to say. "What the bloody hell was that?!" Well, apparently Ron had taken care of that for him.

Hermione blinked owlishly, "I...I'm not sure..." The other students behind them had followed Hitsugaya's instructions and made their way back to the common room. The glasses wearing teen continued to stare, "I swear he had a sword. A freaking sword. Why the hell does a student need a sword?"

"He said it was ceremonial," Hermione piped up.

"Ceremonial? For what," Ron asked "Human sacrifices? He's more of a freak then I thought he was."

Hermione frowned, "We can't jump to conclusions."

"Jump to conclusions," Ron said incredulously as he waved his arms wildly in the direction Hitsugaya had taken off in "He's walking around with a sword Hermione! If there was ever a time to jump to conclusions I would think this would be it!"

Harry turned around at the sound of running steps coming from behind them. Professor Lupin was jogging down the hall, wand in hand. "Professor," Hermione called. "What's going on?"

Their rather surprisingly lively looking teacher skidded to a stop, "Did you see someone come this way?"

Harry nodded, "Hitsugaya just went running that way."

"He had a sword Professor," Ron practically yelled "A sword, who knows what that lunatic's going to do with it!" Lupin nodded and went running down the hall towards the doors of the school.

Hermione sighed, "We'd better get to the common room."

"Are you mad," the red head asked "I want to see what happens."

The bushy haired teen glared, "If you haven't forgotten Sirius Black, as in the _murderer,_ just broke into Hogwarts. They're going to be locking the school down any minute. I can't believe this is happening..."

Harry nodded and grabbed Ron's elbow before leading him towards Gryffindor tower.

"B-but Harry! Don't you want to see what happens?!" The green eyed teen nodded, "Yeah, but we'll find out later. Right now Hermione's right."

Harry glanced back in the direction that both Hitsugaya and Lupin had gone in. As soon as he saw the transfer student again he'd question him on the night's events. Black had broken into the castle and the white haired boy had been fleeing the area with a _sword_ no less. Was he working with Black? But why? What could he possibly have to gain?

---

They had been forced to spend the night in the main hall and Hitsugaya had yet to reappear. The entire school was in a buzz about his odd behaviour the night before and people were looking for answers.

Even most of the teachers seemed clueless as to what had happened to the transfer student. Rumours that Black had killed him were spreading like wild fire while others speculated that he was working with the escaped criminal.

All of the whispers were starting to get rather annoying but to Neville they were downright enraging, "Listen to them talking about him. They haven't even given him a chance to explain!"

Ron shrugged as breakfast appeared on the house tables, "You have to admit if a bloke goes around carrying a sword and running off when Black is supposed to be in the castle people are going to think he has something to do with it."

Harry nodded in agreement from his place beside his best friend, "He's got some explaining to do that's for sure."

"But no one's even seen him," Neville protested "He could be hurt or— or worse but all they can do is spread horrible lies about him!"

Ron rolled his eyes as he buttered a slice of toast, "You can't exactly say that they're lies if you don't even know what actually happened." Hermione who had been quiet for most of the morning finally spoke up, "Well, when we see him again we'll just have to ask him won't we?"

Neville nodded in agreement as the table went silent except for the clink of cutlery.

* * *

As his consciousness began to return Toshiro realized he was lying in a bed that was not his own. If his sense of smell was telling him anything he was in squad four again. He could hear the sound of shoes— woman's heels clanking against the tile floor.

Heels? No self respecting Shinigami would ever— A pair of teal eyes flew open to find themselves staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Toshiro turned his head to the side and realized he was in the Hospital Wing, not squad four as he had immediately assumed.

He let his eyes slip shut again as he tried to recall what exactly he had done to find himself lying there. He'd been heading back from dinner when he'd felt an odd presence within the school...The taicho smacked his forehead as he remembered letting Black get away. Hell, he'd _sent_ Black away.

"Ah, I see you're awake."

Toshiro opened his eyes to find Madame Pomfrey staring down at him with what seemed to be a bar of chocolate in hand. "You practically gave dear Professor Lupin a heart attack boy."

"I...apologize."

"Well its not me you should be apologizing to," she said as she lay a hand on his forehead and began checking him over "Poor Remus was in a panic; finding you lying soaked out in this horrid rain!"

Toshiro pushed one of her rather cold hands away as he shifted into a sitting position. He regretted it almost immediately as the room began to spin and a ringing sound began to thrum in his ears. He clamped his eyes shut as he tried to collect himself.

"Here dear, lay back down," the nurse said softly as she eased him back down towards the pillows "Those Dementors are nasty little blighters. You'll need to take it easy for a while; they did a bit of a number on you."

Hitsugaya tried to listen to what she was saying but it felt like there was cotton stuffed into his ears as he lay back. It was as if all the strength had fled from his body...his body. Something had been wrong...if only he could remember. What had it been? It'd been important, vital! That much he knew.

"You've got a horrible..."

His body...had he been hurt? No, that wasn't it...His mind refused to cooperate. He could practically feel the answer coming to him, it was right there yet he just couldn't grasp it. Something about his body and Potter asking him something....

The bed suddenly seemed very comfortable and Toshiro sighed as he relaxed into the pillows. Everything seemed to be hazy and his vision swam. He'd just close his eyes for a moment, just a moment.

---

"They could see me," Toshiro hissed as he sat up in the bed. From the light coming from the windows he could tell he'd slept the entire night and day away, it seemed to be evening.

"I would think so."

The taicho turned to find Dumbledore sitting on the bed next to him smiling gently, "I'm glad you're alright. When Professor Lupin told me he'd found you passed out in the rain I must admit I was quite worried."

Toshiro glared, "Worried you're going to lose your expendable guard?"

The headmaster sighed as he stood, "Now Mr. Hitsugaya I thought we'd cleared this up. I was genuinely concerned; I care for all my students which includes you despite what you may think." Toshiro had a hard time believing that. "Now, can you tell me what happened last night? I have been hearing many rumours of your apparent death and how you were seen running through the halls after Black's break in carrying a sword. Care to explain?"

Hitsugaya sighed as he threw the covers off of himself, "I felt Black's presence so I went and confronted him. He caught me off guard and escaped before I could apprehend him. The Dementors appeared soon after that."

The old man stared, "And what is this I hear of several Dementors found frozen solid out on the grounds with you?"

"They attacked and I dealt with them accordingly."

Dumbledore nodded, "But may I ask where this sword is?"

Toshiro let his gaze slide around the room. His haori had been folded neatly and placed on a nearby chair and the green sash he normally wore was hanging off one of the arms. Hyorinmaru was no where in sight.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Headmaster. I have no sword. It's just a rumour spread by the students. I'm sure you know their pension for gossip."

The old man smiled, "Yes I'm afraid I do. Well if it's just a rumour I'll be on my way but I must admit I am quite curious as to how strong your powers truly are. It will be interesting to watch you for the next several months."

The Headmaster stood and began to make his leave. Toshiro could feel himself relaxing more and more as the distance between them increased. "Oh and Toshiro," Dumbledore called from the door

"If it happens that it isn't just a silly rumour I would greatly appreciate if next time you would not allow any students to lay eyes on you. Those clothes you're wearing are bad enough but I can't have them thinking that I've permitted a weapon on the grounds. I'm sure you understand," he smiled as he shut the door behind himself.

Madam Pomfrey peaked through the door of her office, "Is he off?" Toshiro nodded. "Good you need your rest," the nurse said sternly as she carried a large tray of food to his bed. "Now I want you to eat all of this, do you understand me? You're a thin as a twig and according to Professor Lupin light as a bird. At your age you should at least be twice the weight you are now. Why..."

She continued to drone on about his eating habits as she went about pouring some potions into a large glass and cutting some of the steak into bite sized pieces.

"Really, I'm not— "I wont have any of that," she cut him off as she set the tray on his lap. "All you've had to eat for the past day is a few squares of chocolate and some fever reducers. You need to eat."

Hitsugaya stared, "Chocolate? I never ate—

"Oh dear you were so out of you hardly noticed. Spent most of the time mumbling nonsense."

Toshiro stared down at the tray. It had been months since he'd actually been out of his gigai and had to eat anything. He sighed before taking the fork and picking away at the meat. It'd been torture having to sit in the main hall and smell all of the food without being able to actually eat it.

He wound up ignoring the meat and instead eating the soup and the bit of vegetables that he'd been given. Madame Pomfrey returned to his bedside when at the sound of him setting down the tray and frowned, "Well apparently you don't just weigh as much as a bird you eat like one too."

He shrugged and shifted so his legs hung off of the side of the bed, "May I leave now?"

The nurse ignored him for a moment as she cleaned away his tray, "You'll be able to go back to classes tomorrow but until then I want you in here."

"I assure you I'm perfectly fine," he growled. Madame Pomfrey glared at him but was cut off from saying anything from a knock. The door opened to reveal a rather tired looking Professor Lupin standing in the hall, "I was just wondering if I could have a word with Mr. Hitsugaya for a moment?"

The woman rolled her eyes before nodding and disappearing into her office. The man walked towards him clearly hiding something within his robe but after a moment when Toshiro felt a familiar cool feeling flow over him and the tell tale thrum of power he knew what it was.

The man carefully withdrew Hyorinmaru from within the fabric and set it at the foot of the bed, "I found this with you last night." Toshiro grabbed the sword and slipped from the bed, refusing to lay in it while the man stood and gestured towards one of the many chairs. The Professor nodded before taking a seat and the Shinigami sat down opposite him.

"Thank you for taking care of it. It's very valuable to me."

The man smiled, "It's no problem. I know you and the Headmaster don't...see eye to eye on many things concerning your origins. I'm not sure if the sword has much to do with that but for your sake I decided it was best for me to hold onto it."

Toshiro bowed his head in thanks, "You chose correctly."

Lupin smiled, "You're an odd boy I'll give you that. I don't suppose you'd give me any insight into where you hail from?"

Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment but he owed the man, "How well have you been informed?"

The Professor seemed rather surprised for a moment but recovered quickly, "Well, I know about the whole...dead… thing. But uh, I was told you're some sort of fighter," he said questioningly. "From what I've heard I'd say a soldier? Dumbledore has relayed most of his information and theories to me but even he doesn't have a clear picture of everything."

Toshiro smirked, "And I hope to keep it that way." Lupin chuckled. "I am a type of soldier. I have been for many years."

"Can you tell me just how old you are?"

"How old do you believe me to be," Hitsugaya asked as he sat back in the chair. The Professor considered it for a moment, "Well you're older then Dumbledore so maybe...a hundred?"

"I trust none of this will reach the Headmaster's ears?" Lupin nodded, "If that's your wish."

"You're close. I'm a hundred and twenty-one."

The man whistled as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "That's pretty old for someone who looks so young."

Toshiro shrugged, "My kind ages much more slowly then a normal living human and even then it can vary among us."

"The whole not eating thing, does that have something to do with your situation?" Hitsugaya nodded. "And the hair and eyes?"

"I get just as many odd looks among my own kind as I do here. Although I believe most have become accustomed to my appearance. Still, as a young child I was treated similarly as to how I was here when I first arrived."

Lupin nodded, "Hagrid mentioned something about you saying you'd been treated poorly."

Toshiro sighed , "I'll give you one more question."

The haggard man nodded and thought for a moment, "So, there's an afterlife then?"

The white haired youth nodded, "There is."

"But what happens when you die? _Do_ you die?"

"Everything in the universe eventually comes to an end. Our lives are no different. We age, grow old, get sick, and get injured just as you do. But even we don't know the answer. There are just as many theories in my homeland about the after life as there are in the world of the living."

Lupin laughed, "Well isn't that a cruel joke? You finally find out the answer to the greatest question on earth only to find yourself clueless again."

Toshiro chuckled, "Yes I suppose it is some sort of cosmic joke."

"Must have been frustrating," The man sighed.

"I've never given it much thought," Toshiro informed him.

The Professor nodded, "One more question?" The taicho frowned but agreed in the end, he found he was enjoying himself.

"I've lost people _very _dear to me," The man said slowly, cautiously "And...Is it a good life— afterlife? Is it beautiful and peaceful...are they happy?"

Toshiro frowned, "I'm very sorry for your loss. But the afterlife, it's not what you believe it to be; it's quite different from what most religions claim it to be like. It's quite similar to living really. People can be happy or they can be desolate. I highly doubt I've ever met your friends and it's unlikely I ever will. Now we're even."

The man gave him a questioning look, "Even?"

"Yes. You helped me and now I've done something for you. I am no longer indebted to you."

"Ah yes, I guess we are," he said as he stood to leave. "Thank you for answering my questions as we agreed none of this will be relayed to Dumbledore." The Defence against the Dark Arts Professor smiled as he made his way to the door, "You know, he means well. Its not like he enjoys having to use you like this."

Toshiro stared after him long after the man had shut the door and he'd been left alone in the large room. The small taicho stared down at Hyorinmaru for a moment before slowly standing. His balance still wasn't at a hundred percent but it would have to do. He needed to get back to his gigai and work out why everyone could see him when he wasn't in his faux body.

"Then again," He mumbled to himself as he slipped out the door "If everyone can see me there's really no reason to wear the thing."

The only problem would be where he could store it until he could somehow manage to ship it back. If worse came to worse he could just dump it in the lake. He'd just have to wrap it in something and weigh it down with several rocks.

The hallways were mostly empty because of the late hour and Toshiro couldn't help but feel rather lucky for once. Any earlier and he would have had to deal with being bombarded by questions.

The white haired transfer student sighed as he made his way to the portrait hole and found that the Fat Lady was no longer guarding Gryffindor tower. Instead a rather rowdy knight seemed to have taken up the post.

"Have at thee cur," the man growled as he raised his sword high.

"Look, I just want to get into the tower," Toshiro sighed impatiently.

"In," The man asked "You want in?! Then give me the password you spineless—

"Fairy lights."

"Ha," The knight shouted "Wrong you fiend!"

"No," The taicho hissed, "Its right. Now I suggest you let me in before I rip you from that wall and toss you out the nearest window, my patience is waning!"

The man backed down and hid himself behind his horse, "R-Right you are good sir!"

"Thank you," Toshiro said curtly as he climbed through the hole and into the common room. He almost groaned when the heat hit him. It seemed ten times worse now that he wasn't in his gigai. Crap. He'd forgotten to pick up his gigai on the way over.

He began debating with himself on weather he could be bothered to go and retrieve the body or if he could just pick it up in the morning.

"Toshiro?"

The Shinigami in question turned to find Harry and his friends sitting in front of the ever burning fire staring at him, their eyes glued to the katana he held in his hand. He almost growled at the fact that he hadn't noticed they were there.

He was losing his touch. Normally he was the one to startle people.

Maybe they'd just let him be until the morning and question him at breakfast. Harry stood from the chair he'd been sitting in, his hand in the pocket of his robes most likely grasping the handle of his wand, "I think its time you told us what exactly your business here at Hogwarts is."

As if he would be so lucky.

* * *

Dear Readers,

I think I've finally given up on watching the dub of Bleach. There were just too many fillers and the Bount Arch was crap so I decided to just skip ahead and watch the subs. It hit me after a while that in order to catch up with the subs I'd have to watch like 100 more episodes. I'm that type of person who can't watch an anime that has more then 30 episodes if it doesn't come out once a week. I've decided to just go out and buy the manga, get to the point where the subs are and just go from there with the anime...well for collector's purposes I'm just going to buy all the volumes anyway. I went out and bought the first 8 the other day. There just happens to be an Indigo's right by my house. I've spent many an afternoon in there. Thank God for the Rewards card. I got a statement a while back saying I'd saved 189.99 last year which makes me wonder; if it gives me ten percent off every time...just how much did I spend? 'Cause that's a lot of money...I assure you I never told my mother about this. Well now that its summer updates should come more quickly...and uh....yeah. Have a great vacation! And to those poor, poor unfortunate souls who have summer school....my heart goes out to you.....well anyway thanks for reading!

ForeverFalling.

PS. Don't forget to review!


	16. The Jig

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Finally all of my different extra curricular activities are done! I had my award ceremony for piano and voice the other day so now everything has finished up. I won all of my categories which was amazing and during the ceremony I got to sit next to this amazing piano player and we talked the entire time. He's hot, he's funny and he's talented! If only I saw him more...*sigh* oh well. Anyway thanks to everyone who reviewed! You're all great.

**OVER 400 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ROCK!!**

**(**_**Christ**_** that's a lot...)**

**PS. Does anyone get the title of this chapter or do you all think it's completely random? **

**PPS. HAPPY CANADA DAY! Yes, we're 142 and still young. **

This is a VERY short chapter...but I'll update again soon. It's only like 3,000 words. Give or take...okay take...*heh*

**Warning: **Harry swears when he's mad...rated T for a reason...

_

* * *

__Maybe they'd just let him be until the morning and question him at breakfast. Harry stood from the chair he'd been sitting in, his hand in the pocket of his robes most likely grasping the handle of his wand, "I think its time you told us what exactly your business here at Hogwarts is." _

_As if he would be so lucky_

_

* * *

_Toshiro stalked into the room and carefully set Hyorinmaru on one of the tables. The last thing he needed was Potter panicking and shooting off some random spell that would do God knew what, "I'm a student, just as you are and I would appreciate it if you would let go of your wand."

Harry looked surprised for a moment but quickly did just the opposite and pulled the wooden stick out of his pocket, "Well I would appreciate some answers."

The two stared each other down as the fire crackled and Ron and Hermione continued to watch. Toshiro sighed, "Potter, if you just want to stand around having a glorified staring contest then I'm going to turn in for the night."

The glasses wearing teen narrowed his eyes, "We need answers Hitsugaya. We see you running around while Black's apparently in the castle with a fucking _sword _and then you're gone for a day and a night! What the hell is going on?"

"And look at what you're wearing," Ron piped up. The taicho ignored the redhead's comment as he picked up Hyorinmaru and prepared to leave.

Harry stalked over, "I'm serious! If I didn't know better— and you know what maybe I don't; but I'd say you were working with Black and according to what I overheard Dumbledore saying last night he's after me. So is that why you're always around us? Trying to get close to me so you can bring Black in so he can off me?!"

The Shinigami stared incredulously, "Always around you? If you've forgotten Potter I was originally in Ravenclaw and you were the ones to approach me."

Ron stood from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at the white haired boy, "But you're not in Ravenclaw now though! So what'd you do?! Talk Dumbledore into transferring you after your plan didn't work out?!"

Hermione palmed her forehead and sighed as Toshiro quirked an eyebrow at the distraught Weasley son, "I believe you both need to calm down. Especially you Ronald, it appears as if you're about to burst a blood vessel."

Hermione finally seemed to have had enough, "He's right. We all need to just take a deep calming breath and sort this out."

"He's_ plotting_ something 'Mione," Ron growled. Harry nodded in agreement, "Ron could be right. We have to make sure he's not up to something."

"Not 'could be', I _am_ right," The redhead growled as he eyed Toshiro who had taken a seat in his favourite chair by the window, "Just look at him!"

"Look at me?"

"Yeah! With your sword and—and your hair and your eyes! And look at the way your dressed. I bet he's in league with Black."

"So because of the way I look, you think I'm working with Black," Hitsugaya said slowly as he stared at the freckled teen "It's wonderful to see prejudice in action in modern society."

Harry glared, "Don't talk to him like he's an idiot!"

"Well how else do you expect me to speak to him?"

"You're just being a di— "All of you just shut up!"

All three boys turned to find a very annoyed looking Hermione standing near the fireplace, "This is not calmly sorting things out and _I've had enough_."

Her two friends instantly calmed while Toshiro remained as he was.

"But Toshiro, they're right. We do need some answers. I'm sure you realize that you look rather suspicious and I must say I'm not comfortable with the fact that you're carrying around a weapon."

The aforementioned boy shrugged, "What you're comfortable with is none of my concern."

Hermione glared at him, "Yes well, we're the ones with the wands at the moment so I suggest you give us some answers."

Toshiro wanted to point out that _he_ was the one with the sword yet he had a feeling that would do nothing to relieve the situation. Then there was always the fact that he wasn't supposed to use it on students…Dumbledore had banned it as a matter of fact. Yamamoto would also be extremely displeased if he found out one of his captains had harmed a child, even if he viewed said captain himself as a child.

"Now," Hermione said as she pulled several chairs up to where Toshiro was sitting, "We are all going to sit down, quietly and calmly and sort this out like civilized people."

Harry gave her an incredulous look as Ron openly gaped, "Sort things out? Hermione he's teamed up with a murderer who wants to _kill_ Harry!"

She gave him a withering glace, "Ron if you really believe that, then you aren't as intelligent as I thought you were. I'll admit that this does seem…suspicious, but Toshiro is a perfectly nice young man who let me remind you just moved here from a _foreign_ country. He also has no reason to want Harry dead unless Harry has wronged him in some way that we are not aware…?" Harry shook his head.

"Well see now tell me, why would Toshiro want him dead? There's simply no reason behind it so I'm sure he has a logical explanation as to why he was seen running out of the school with a sword wearing odd clothes and then why he disappeared."

Harry sighed as he sat down next to his friend and Ron was soon to follow. "There," Hermione nodded in satisfaction. "Harry put the wand away."

Potter shot her a glare as he continued to hold the wand and Ron pulled his from within his robes. The glasses wearing teen focused on the white haired transfer, "Hitsugaya why are you here? I think we deserve to know that much."

"I'm here to learn just as you are." It wasn't a complete lie.

"You know what I mean," Harry snapped "And what was up with you running out yesterday? And then you disappeared" He stopped for a moment before starting again, "We…we were worried and Neville was practically in a panic! And that Luna girl from Ravenclaw, well with her it was hard to tell but she seemed worried too!"

The Shinigami felt a twinge of guilt for making his only friends worry, the two deserved more then that. Harry appeared to deflate and all of the anger seemed to leave his body, "I mean…people were saying you'd been _killed_ and we want to be your friends Toshiro and friends worry."

Toshiro sighed, "I apologize for worrying you."

Ron glared but even he seemed to have calmed, "Yeah well, if we're your friends I think we at least deserve the truth."

"We're just going to keep bugging you until you tell us," Harry added. Hermione nodded and gave the small taicho a smile. Hitsugaya felt frustrated to say the least. They'd gone from yelling ridiculous accusations to saying how they'd been worried because he was their friend in a matter of moments.

The living could be so rash. But then again so could the dead.

Yet, they were right, at least somewhat. They deserved to know some of the truth and really it was no skin off his back. If anything Dumbledore would be the one who'd have to deal with the consequences later.

With that thought fuelling his actions Toshiro exhaled rather loudly before opening his eyes which he hadn't realized he'd let slip shut, "I can tell you right now I'm not working along side Black to kill Harry."

Hermione frowned, "But that means you're here for another reason? Other then schooling?"

Toshiro nodded, "I finished my schooling some time ago." Several decades actually and he'd never finished his schooling while living but he had a vague recollection of being dropped off at the same building everyday and being surrounded by other children.

Harry stared, "But…you're so young. How could you be finished school?" Toshiro smirked, "I'm a little older then I look." If they only knew.

"How much older?"

"A fair number of years." They nodded.

"Alright," Ron started "Then what's the actual reason you're here? I mean you're not here for school if you're actually done."

Toshiro considered his options for a moment. He _could_ tell them the truth about the Dementors and the pact with Dumbledore _or_ he could take the easy way out… "I was hired to protect Harry."

Said boy gave him a questioning look, "Protect me?"

He nodded, "Yes, I was hired to protect you from Sirius Black. I was pursuing him the other day when you saw me."

"But—but even if you are older you're still too young to be chasing after a dangerous criminal! Even the Aurors are weary of him. How are you expected to capture him," Hermione asked rather flustered.

"I was hired for a reason," Hitsugaya said steadily "That reason being that I am capable of capturing if not killing him."

The three simply stared at him as Ran crept along the floor before jumping into and settling down on the taicho's lap. Ron was the first to speak up, "Well uh…we had some things wrong."

Toshiro nodded as he stroked Ran's soft fur, "That you did."

Hermione elbowed the redhead, "Apologize."

Ron sighed, "Yeah well, I guess I over reacted and uh…I made fun of your hair and your eyes and the way you dress so uh, yeah I'm sorry."

Harry nodded, "We both are. But I'm going to say right now that I don't need anyone's protection. I'm not some kid you need to babysit," he continued forcefully. "I can take care of myself no matter what Dumbledore says."

Hitsugaya resisted the urge to scoff and instead sat quietly as a particularly cool breeze filtered in through the window. While the others shivered he inhaled deeply trying to take in as much of the wonderfully scented air as he could. Ran buried himself deeper into his haori to escape the chill.

After a few moments of awkward silence "Are we…done here," Toshiro asked.

"Oh, yeah," Harry nodded.

"Well then I'm going to retire for the night."

With that the young Shinigami got up with Ran curled up in his arms and made his way up to the dormitory. When they were sure that the boy was out of ear shot the three Gryffindors moved away from the breezy window and back to the fire.

"So what do you think," Harry asked as he settled into his seat.

"I'm not sure," Hermione confided "Its reasonable to assume that Dumbledore would hire someone to protect you if Black's after you like you said you heard but, would they really get someone like him? He barely looks thirteen. I know I thought he was eleven when we first met him so I doubt he's really any older. Frankly I think he might be younger."

Ron nodded, "Yeah I know what you mean. There's no way he can possibly be older then us. He barely passes for thirteen as is. But that means we still have no idea what he's really up to."

"Or what he really is," Harry muttered.

"What he is?"

The green eyed sheet shrugged as he leaned back in his chair, "I don't know. There's just something about him that isn't right."

"Well he's a jinx," Ron said frankly. Hermione shot him a look, "I thought we'd gotten past the whole jinx thing."

"But there is something odd about him," Harry confirmed "I mean haven't you noticed? And I'm not just talking about the way he looks." His two friends stared at him questioningly.

"Come on," he asked incredulously. "The way the air goes cold around him sometimes or that Boggart incident with all those dead people and that girl dressed just the way he is now? He never eats either, he's always with us instead of in the kitchens but he hasn't lost any weight," Harry considered.

"And when we went to go find him and he'd opened all the windows. Plus…haven't you noticed the way that he walks?" Both of his friends shook their heads.

"What," Hermione asked "Does he walk oddly or something?"

"No," Harry practically hissed "He doesn't make any noise! Its like he's not even there."

The room lapsed into silence as they all wandered through their own thoughts. Harry finally sighed as he pulled off his glasses and began cleaning them on his shirt, "Look, I like the guy. I said before: we're his friends. We talked a lot while you guys were in Hogsmead but that doesn't mean I completely trust him. At least not anymore."

Hermione nodded, "You're right. He's been playing some sort of game with us. With everyone. And I think its time we put a stop to it. I have a feeling he hasn't told us the full story."

Ron agreed, "I got that feeling too. He's hiding something."

Hermione stood from her seat, "Well he won't be able to hide anything for long. So far he's been making the rules. Well we've done enough playing alone. Harry, go get the invisibility cloak."

The teen looked up, "Where are we going?"

She smiled, "The library of course."

---

* * *

Dear Readers,

So yeah, this chapter is **short**! But...it seemed like the perfect place to end it. Don't worry I'll update again soon...okay not too soon because I have to update my other story. I was actually supposed to update like two weeks ago and I still haven't. I've left it for too long. I tried to lighten it up a bit this chapter…I don't know. Tell me if you like it better this way or if you liked it better the other way or if you can't tell the difference. I can but…I wrote it. Someone asked so I thought I'd give it a shot. Why not? It will get lighter gradually though. I can't wait until the next Hogsmead visit. I've already written it. Hm...anything else? Nope...I don't think so...Yeah I've got nothing so thanks for reading and please don't forget to review!

ForeverFalling.


	17. Humanity

A/N: Hey everyone! How have your three days been? Good I hope. Well this is another short chapter but hell it's only been three days so I think this length is acceptable. Once again it just seemed like the perfect place to end it...I'm thinking that now that its summer chapters will be shorted but more frequent. Thanks for reading!

**Okay, it's like 3:00 in the morning right now and I was up until 6:00 yesterday and lack of sleep does nothing to help the editing process so there might be some grammatical errors that I've missed. I'll fix them later when my eyes don't feel like they're on fire. Thanks. **

* * *

_The teen looked up, "Where are we going?"_

_She smiled, "The library of course."_

_

* * *

_

Toshiro lay on top of the sheets not daring to crawl beneath them and have to suffer through the heat. He had revealed valuable information yet he believed he had handled the situation appropriately.

But there was another problem at hand. He needed to work out how exactly everyone could see him. Then again, the ghosts within the castle walls were perfectly visible to everyone as well. And there was the fact that they'd apparently been around for years and they'd yet to turn into Hollows.

The entire school seemed to be one giant mystery.

The taicho sighed as he stroked a hand over Ran's fur as the kitten- now cat he supposed- slept beside him. He tried to relax as Neville's snores filled the room...there only seemed to be one probable answer that he could think of.

If the magic in the air was attracted to spirit particles there was a possibility that they were somehow creating a bond and clinging to the spirits that wandered into an area with a large amount of magic users present.

And if that was the case it could explain why he could perform magic. It wasn't necessarily his own natural ability; it was just that he was unknowingly harnessing the magical particles that clung to him.

The Shinigami rubbed at his temples as he ran through the theory once again in his head. The matter of the ghosts could be as simple as wards being placed within the castle walls that protected them from the hollowfication process. It could very well be in the wizard's ability to do something like that.

His musings were interrupted as the door creaked open and Potter crept in clearly trying not to wake the room's occupants.

Toshiro didn't move as the teen rummaged through his trunk and pulled an odd looking cloak from within the confines of it. His sneaking skills or lack there of were almost comical. He was about as subtle as Kurosaki maybe even Zaraki.

As the door creaked shut and the room was cast once again into darkness he closed his eyes preparing to drift off to sleep. But before doing so, Hitsugaya spared the situation a small, quiet chuckle.

---

"We're so going to get caught," Ron groaned as they made their way through the halls as quietly as possible. "And you know its getting more cramped in here every year."

Hermione elbowed him, "If anything we're going to get caught because of your moaning so shut up!"

The redhead shot her a glare barely visible despite how close they were in the poor light. Harry sighed when his two friends continued to bicker, if not more quietly as they made their way into the deserted library.

The glasses wearing teen pulled off the cloak and rolled it into a bundle, "So what are we supposed to be looking for exactly?"

Hermione frowned, "Records. They're supposed to keep records of every single wizard ever born."

"And where do you expect we'll find those?"

The girl headed down one of the many isles towards a section they'd become quite familiar with, "The Forbidden Section I suppose."

She muttered a quick spell at the door and the lock clicked open.

"Why would records be in the forbidden section," Ron queried as he followed in after her.

"I suppose so no one can tamper with them. Then again I could be wrong, they might be in another section but I find that hard to believe."

She scanned through the shelves before pulling a large dust covered tome off of one and set it on the table, "Here it is." They crowded around the table as she began flipping through the pages and found the H section.

"I don't understand," She muttered as she continued scanning one section of the page, "His name should be right here...but its not." She scowled as she slammed it shut and began scanning the shelves again, "An unrecorded wizard birth is unprecedented but if that didn't work I'm going to need to find a record of bloodlines or maybe just regular birth records. I'm not sure if the library would have the records for Japan though...," she trailed off as she left the restricted section and made her way to another.

"But why wouldn't his name be in the book if that's supposed to have the name of every wizard ever born," Ron asked. She shrugged, "It could be for a number of reasons I suppose but either way we still need to find that other book so why don't you start looking?"

The redhead nodded as he and Harry began scanning the shelves she directed them to. The minutes ticked by as they continued to search.

"Look," the green eyed teen groaned "We've been at this for hours and we still can't find it. Lets just go to bed and come back tomorrow after class." Ron agreed as he threw himself down into a chair.

"Wait," Hermione exclaimed as she stretched up to grab a large book from off one of the higher shelves "I think I might've found it." The bushy haired girl hefted the book and carried it over to the nearest table.

"Well is that it," Harry asked as he made his way over. She nodded, "Yes, I believe it is…"

She began flipping through the pages and the two boys quickly lost interest and sat down as she continued to work. The library was silent for quite a while except for the sound of turning pages until she called them over. Ron prodded Harry awake and they both scuffled their way over to where their friend was standing.

"I've the Hitsugaya blood line," she muttered as she scanned a long page.

"How could that book have all the bloodlines in there," Ron asked as he glanced at the page "I mean sure, its big but its not _that_ big."

"There's a charm on it so the reader can find whichever bloodline they're looking for with relative ease. Not all of the bloodlines are in it at any one time; it all depends on what you're looking for."

"Wake up Harry," Ron growled as he shoved his best friend who had fallen asleep leaning against him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm awake. So what did you find?" The girl scanned the page again, "Well from what I can tell he's from an ancient line but…it died out relatively recently."

"What do you mean by relatively," Harry asked.

"The last son died quite suddenly which only left a daughter and she married in the early 1900s, but there is a listing of the name Toshiro Hitsugaya."

"S-so what does the mean for us," Ron asked as he failed to stifle a yawn.

"Its mean Toshiro can't possibly been who he says he is. The boy with that name was born in 1860 and died in 1872 when he was about twelve."(1)

"So he's been using a fake name," Harry grumbled.

"I'm…not so sure," Hermione mumbled as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"How can you 'not be sure'," Ron asked as he squatted down and rested his elbows on the table "Seems pretty obvious to me…but I guess he could be named after some distant relative. Maybe somewhere down the line that last daughter's kids decided to change back to her maiden name. People do it."

The girl nodded, "That's a good point but it would be listed here under the family tree." She pointed to the large diagram that spanned across one of the pages covered in names and dates, "Which it isn't."

"So it's a fake name, simple enough," Ron reasoned.

Harry sighed, "Yeah but remember when you messed up his name when you first met him? He has pride in it or something. If it wasn't his actual name he wouldn't have gotten angry like he did." The red head scowled, "He didn't seem _that_ angry."

"Trust me. He was."

"We're going in circles and it's too late for circles," Ron groaned. "Let's just figure this out and go to bed! It's either a fake name or it isn't!"

Hermione sighed as she plopped down into one of the chairs, "I'm not sure. Harry's got a point but so have you…If we just had a picture to compare the two. Otherwise there's no way to be sure without asking him that I can see."

"Well unless there's a spell that lets you see the picture of the person whose name you're reading we're out of luck." Her eyes widened almost comically as she jumped from her seat, "Ron you're a genius!"

The red head blinked owlishly, "I am?"

Hermione nodded, "I can't believe I didn't think of it before."

"I don't blame you," Harry yawned "It's getting really late. Tomorrow's going to be bloody torture."

Hermione frowned as she mumbled to herself for a moment, "Oh what was it?!" She tapped her fingers against the wood of the table impatiently as she tried to recall the incantation. "Oh, I've got it," She exclaimed as she pulled her wand from within her robes and gave it a flick, "Vulticulus aperio. Hitsugaya Toshiro."(2)

The sparks that flew from her wand seemed to form small orbs of different coloured light as they began to form an image in the air. Ron stared, "Wow. But you said his name backwards."

Harry nodded, "That's the way they do it in Japan, so that's how it's written." The redhead made an 'oh' sound as the three watched the image take form. It took a moment but eventually they were met with a face they knew very well.

Their friend Toshiro; only with a few differences.

"His hair is black," Harry noted as he examined the slightly more tanned face. All together Toshiro's Asian heritage was much more apparent then it was present day and Harry mused that he must have taken after his mother seeing as his father wasn't of the same background.

Or maybe he was. Suddenly it was almost impossible to tell the truth from the lies.

"But otherwise it's the same," Hermione muttered as she stared "There's no way he could possibly look this much like such a distant relative."

"So what, you're saying he's like a hundred years old," Ron asked as if he thought her mad "He said he was older then he looked but give me a break. There's no way. Not even magic can keep you alive for that long."

Harry nodded, "Ron's got a point. There's no way he could actually be that old. Maybe he's using a Polyjuice Potion. If we could make it in second year I bet a guy like Hitsugaya could make it easily now and if we go on what he said earlier maybe he's an adult. I mean, what better way to infiltrate a school without interference then by becoming a student?"

"How would he get the hair though? Plus it has to be fresh hair otherwise it wouldn't work. Then there's the fact that his hair is white while this Toshiro's hair is black," Hermione sighed, "Its something else. I just know it."

Ron groaned, "Please, please, _please_ can we do this tomorrow? My eyes are starting to burn and I bet this'd be a lot easier if we weren't all tired."

His complaints went unheard as his friends continued to bounce ideas off of one another in the dark of the library.

"The only person I've ever heard of being that old was Flamel but that was because of the stone and Dumbledore said he destroyed it."

"Plus it was the only one of its kind," Hermione piped up, "And if you notice, the timing is wrong. By the time Flamel made the stone Toshiro would've been much older then how he appears now."

"Could he be taking an aging potion or something," Harry asked.

She shook her head, "An aging potion only affects your appearance. His heart would've given out years ago."

"Maybe he developed it on his own? He's pretty smart after all."

"I doubt it," she intoned.

"Could he be a vampire? He's pale enough."

"No he's not," Hermione groaned as she laid her head against the cold wood of the table "And I think we would've noticed the missing students by now considering we're living with him."

"Well I'm out of ideas," Harry snapped as he flopped down onto the floor and rested his head on the bundled up invisibility cloak. "Maybe we're wrong about everything!"

"No," Hermione insisted "That's what he wants us to think."

"Oh, so now he's a mastermind is he," Ron commented. The girl glared, "Oh shut up Ronald. We can't give up now."

"On the contrary," he argued "We can give up now seeing as it's almost three in the morning. We can un-give up tomorrow…or today I guess"

The room fell silent except for the sound of the wind howling outside of the old windows.

"It's not just about the age though," Harry announced "It's the way he acts and the way he moves, even the formal way he talks. We can't forget about that. This isn't all about his age."

Hermione joined her two friends on the floor, "Alright, so you mentioned that he doesn't make any noise when he walks."

"And the air goes cold around him," Ron grunted.

"Right," the glasses wearing teen replied. "And he never eats and he speaks in a really formal way for someone our age." Hermione nodded, "And his tolerance to the cold."

"Lets not forget his hair, eyes and skin," Ron reminded. "His eyes…they kind of glow sometimes. It's not natural."

"Alright," Harry whispered "Now what does all that remind us of?"

"A ji— "Ron if you say jinx I'm going to smack you," Hermione warned.

"Well he's definitely not normal," The red head grumbled.

"Yeah," His two friends agreed. The three all remained quiet as they lay side by side staring up at the ceiling.

Eventually Hermione was resting her head on Ron's arm while he set his head on Harry's stomach. "What do you think Neville's going to say," the redhead asked. The other two shrugged.

"He'll probably deny it all," Harry pointed out. "Hitsugaya's his best friend. I'm just not sure Hitsugaya sees it that way."

"Maybe he's really something different," Ron suggested "Something nobodies ever heard of."

"Hmm maybe," Hermione said tiredly. "You guys know we're going to have to move soon or else we're going to fall asleep here and I for one don't want Mrs. Prince to find us in the morning."

"Just a little longer," Harry pleaded, finally relaxed.

"Any more ideas," Ron asked as he glanced over at his best friend's face. He shook his head, "Not really. How 'bout you 'Mione?"

She hummed to herself, "I'm not sure. But, I just know that that picture is really him. There's just no way he could look that similar and share the same name. It's too big a coincidence."

"So what exactly are you saying," Ron asked.

"I'm saying that it looks like we're going to have to do some research. Toshiro Hitsugaya might be a lot of things, but he most definitely _isn't_ human."

* * *

1. Remember this book is supposed to take place the school year of 93/94 and its still 1993 (I wasn't even born yet…) So, the years are actually correct for Toshiro's age of 121.

2. Okay, so I found myself a Latin translator. This isn't a real spell but hell if I'm going to let that stop me. It basically means 'appearance reveal'. I'm sure someone who actually speaks Latin is probably crying over my butchering of the language. Oh well. My knowledge only consists of everything found within the Mortal Instruments series…City of Bones mostly.

* * *

Dear Readers,

The summer shows are all coming out now. I'm excited but I'm not sure anything can top Natsume Yuujinchou for me. I LOVED that show. But I guess I'll have to see. I'm actually pretty excited about it...if only the dub of Gundam 00 season two would come out! I'm dying to see it and I don't want to watch it in Japanese. They're not even playing it in Canada which pisses me off because you can't really enjoy the HD when it's on a veoh window. *Sigh* oh well. I'll just have to buy all the DVDs and watch them on my t.v. once they're out so I can really see the quality. Thanks for reading!

ForeverFalling.


	18. The Sacred Art of Body Ditching

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, you're seriously amazing. The couch I'm sitting on right now is killing my back…I think there's a dent in it so went you lay on it you practically fold into an V shape and when laying on your stomach that's just not natural. So this chapter is out pretty quickly if you ask me and it's longer then the last few. I had fun writing this one.

**QUICK NOTE AT THE BOTTOM: I need your opinion on something. It WILL AFFECT the story**

* * *

_She hummed to herself, "I'm not sure. But, I just know that that picture is really him. There's just no way he could look that similar and share the same name. It's too big a coincidence." _

"_So what exactly are you saying," Ron asked. _

"_I'm saying that it looks like we're going to have to do some research. Toshiro Hitsugaya might be a lot of things, but he most definitely isn't human." _

* * *

Toshiro woke quite early the next morning although he'd been woken when Potter and Ron had staggered their way into the room at what he suspected to be four in the morning.

The room was still and more or less silent so he quietly pulled on his haori and began making his way down to where he'd left his gigai. He was rather curious as to what the soul occupying it had done for the past day and a half. He vaguely hoped that it had found something to occupy the time with for its own sake.

When he found the armour that he had placed in front of the small passage and pushed it aside he found the soul to be asleep. The taicho sighed as he nudged the gigai with his foot to have it wake with a start. It easily climbed to its feet to patiently wait for more instructions or for Toshiro to re-enter into the faux body.

The white haired boy slipped into the body, quickly deciding he was going to ditch it in the lake like he'd planned earlier…only where could he possibly get a tarp and some rope?

He frowned. It would be…awkward to ask one of the teachers or other students. Especially any of the muggle born students, they might get the wrong idea. Though in actuality, he essentially _was_ dumping a body.

He grumbled to himself as he began making his way through the hallways hoping that it was still early enough that no one would be walking around on the grounds. It would be a hassle to try and explain why he was spotted disposing of his own corpse.

For once luck seemed to be on his side as he made it to the front doors without being seen by anyone. He began making his way to Hagrid's hut. If anyone was likely to believe a total and –completely- outlandish lie and have the supplies he needed, it would be the half giant.

There was already smoke coming from the chimney and from what he knew the ground's keeper had to get up rather early to tend to his chores.

The taicho straightened his clothes before climbing the front stepping and rapping on the door. Loud barks met his ears as well as the sound of claws scratching at the wood of the door.

"Fang, down! Get away you mangy mutt!"

The door opened to reveal the Professor who looked rather surprised to see him, "Toshiro. Never expected you to pay me a visit."

Hitsugaya forced a small smile, "Yes well, I've come to ask a small favour of you." The man stroked his large beard, "What can I do for ya?"

"I was hoping if you had a spare tarp and some rope I could possibly borrow."

Hagrid's eyebrows-almost _eyebrow_ really-disappeared into his hairline, "Now what would ya need tha' for?"

The small Shinigami tried not to let his forced smile drop, "I have a project in Herbology due soon I wanted to try an experiment."

The half giant nodded and stepped back from the door, "Well come in for a minute."

Toshiro went to thank him as he made his way into the small hut only to find himself bowled over by a very large and furry-not to mention heavy- Fang.

The dog's tongue slid over his face leaving a trail of slobber in its wake.

"Fang," Hagrid growled "Off." The dog paid no heed as Toshiro continued to struggle beneath him while he continued on having a merry old time. The weight of the animal suddenly disappeared as it was shoved away from him.

"Ya alright down there Toshiro," Hagrid asked as he peered down at his small student. The boy wiped his face with his sleeve as he practically growled, "I think he got drool in my mouth. It tastes like beef. Why the hell does it taste like _beef_?"

The man laughed, "Oh I fed him some day old table scraps for breakfast." This did nothing to dissuade the transfer student's disgust. Clearly seeing this Hagrid grabbed the boy around the waist and set him down on a near by chair as if he were nothing more then a feather pillow, "I'll get ya' some water."

Toshiro coughed as he tried to rid himself of the awful taste before he was handed a mug of water roughly the size of a bucket. In his surprise he almost dropped it but quickly grabbed onto the mug with two hands and set it on his lap, "Thank you…"

He took a sip of the water not really caring about the after effects it might have on the gigai. Soon enough it'd be at the bottom of the lake-that was a hell of a lot more water-, he just needed to get the taste out of his mouth.

_Beef_. Repulsive.

He looked up to find the beast staring over at him with large eyes. Hitsugaya glared, silently daring it to try jumping on him again.

Hagrid broke up their little staring contest when he threw a large blue tarp and some rope to the floor at Toshiro's feet, "I haven't heard of any Herbology projects. But do I really want to know what you're going to use this for?"

Teal eyes met dark brown, nearly black, "Most likely not." The giant man nodded as he sat down across from the small Shinigami, "I've been hearing some weird stories about ya from the Professors you know. Even the students were whispering about how you'd been missin'."

"Trivial gossip I assure you." Hagrid nodded but clearly didn't believe him. "But how have you been Professor?"

The man blushed as he scratched at his head, "Aw, you can just call me Hagrid. Almost everyone does. I've been…well you were there for the incident with Buckbeak nd' Malfoy?" Hitsugaya nodded. "Well his father wants Buckbeak to be killed cause a' what he did."

The small teen could tell the man was struggling to keep his emotions in check, "I'm sure everything will work out for the best." Hagrid sniffed as he dabbed at his eyes, "I hope you're right."

Toshiro set the mug down on the floor and Fang quickly lumbered over to begin drinking from it, "Well I'd best me on my way if I want to get back to the castle in time for class."

The man nodded, "Could you say hello to Harry and them for me? Well I'll be seeing you all this afternoon I expect."

"Yes," Hitsugaya agreed as he picked up the tarp and rope before casting a glare towards Fang and bowing his head in thanks to the Professor.

---

As it turns out, dumping a body is easier said then done.

Lugging the tarp and the rope to the edge of the lake hadn't been too much trouble and from there he'd slipped from the gigai and removed the Hogwarts uniform from it (no need to waste a perfectly good uniform). Yes, that had all been rather easy.

Figuring out how he was supposed to get the body out to the middle of the lake? Now that was another matter entirely.

He frowned as he began searching for some large enough rocks to weight the gigai down so no one would ever find it, or at least until he was gone he really didn't care about after that.

He managed to find a few rocks and placed them on the spread out tarp along with the gigai before he began tying it all up. The small taicho slid down onto the ground next to the neatly wrapped body.

If he just threw it in, the water would be much too shallow so someone could easily spot it; hell Hagrid's monster of a dog would probably find it in a day.

Toshiro sighed as he once again climbed to his feet and an idea began to take form in his head. He hefted the body onto his shoulder and made his way to the water's edge.

The taicho began to focus his reiatsu around his feet. He lifted his foot so that it was just touching the surface of the water and watched as a thick layer of ice began to creep along the top of it.

As the layer of ice continued to expand towards the center of the lake Toshiro easily stepped onto it carrying the gigai with him. A simple enough the solution and once he'd gone the lake water's natural temperature would begin to melt the ice.

When he reached the center he cast the body off the side of the walk way and watched it slowly sink into the dark depths. The Shinigami continued to stare down as what he was sure to be a tentacle slid through the water.

Hitsugaya dropped to his knees to get a better look.

The water suddenly seemed very still…almost eerily so. Bubbles began to appear on the surface alerting him the something was coming. He unsheathed Hyorinmaru and took a step back just in time as a large creature burst from the water and lunged for his head.

With a slash of his katana he skidded away along the path he'd created as the creature fell back into the murky depths with a screech.

Hitsugaya slowly made his way forward with Hyorinmaru grasped firmly in his hand. As he stared a head began to rise from the nearly black water, dark hair was splayed around what he could now tell to be a woman's head.

Her skin was a sickly colour, almost grey in the morning light and it seemed to almost have a…webbed quality to it. The taicho stared into a pair of unforgiving eyes before she once again slipped beneath the surface.

Toshiro waited for a moment as he heard a faint…cracking noise?

Teal eyes widened, "Oh cra— The bridge of ice shattered and the small Shinigami was sent plunging into the frigid water.

He struggled as his robes and Hyorinmaru began to weight him down. As he fought to get to the surface he almost swore when something wrapped sharply around his ankle and pulled him back.

He looked down to find several more of the same type of creature that had attacked him before and now that he could see them, he realized they were mermaids. _Mermaids_.

Of course. It was just his luck.

One of them slid up to face the small taicho as she ran a hand through his white locks only to be slashed by Hyorinmaru (1). Another one of them grabbed at his hair from behind and tugged at the silky strands.

He fended her off with the katana again and she backed off with a hiss. In the water the screeches they made seemed to echo and vibrate at an unforgiving volume through his ears making him wince and he swore his ear drums had just ruptured.

As he brandished his sword they all seemed captivated by the piece of weaponry. The Shinigami began swimming towards the surface while trying to keep an eye on the women-then again some might have been men-struggling to pull himself along with only one arm.

Toshiro broke the surface and immediately sucked down a lungful of air coughing as he did. He swore profusely as he awkwardly went about making his way to shore.

The trek back to the castle was a dizzy and cold one even though he'd taken off his sopping wet haori and wrapped the dry outer robe from his Hogwarts uniform around his shoulders. The sun seemed to have disappeared behind the clouds so he was offered no reprieve from the harsh, cold winds and shaded pathways.

By the time he'd made his way into the castle he was still leaving a large trial of water and blood from a wound on his ankle behind him. Students all turned to stare and whisper as he passed them. He heard very faint yelps as several people slipped and fell in the water he'd left behind.

"Toshiro?!!"

The aforementioned boy turned to find Neville with Luna at his side making their way over, "What happened? You're soaking wet!"

"What?!"

"What happened?" The white haired boy frowned, "Pardon?!"

"Why are you shouting?"

"Why am I what?!"

Toshiro watched as his friend walked over to him and flicked aside some of his hair, "Toshiro, you're ears are bleeding!"

The taicho held a hand up to his ear to find that the other Gryffindor was right, "I suppose I'd best go to the hospital wing!"

The two nodded and he slowly began making his way in the direction of the infirmary as he tried not to let his dizziness show. Along the way he very nearly fell down a flight of stairs and bumped into several unsuspecting people who came away slightly damper then they'd been before the encounter.

When he finally slipped-he'd managed to hide Hyorinmaru inside a suit or armour- through the doors Madam Pomfrey looked up from her work and clearly snapped something at him. What she'd said was beyond him.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you," he said as he tried-and failed-to compensate for his hearing loss so he wasn't shouting. The glare slipped from her face as she spotted the mix of blood and water, "What happened?"

"I can't hear you!"

She gestured for him to sit on one of the beds and he quickly followed her orders. "Can you tell me what happened," She asked loudly and clearly as she stood closely to him.

He nodded, "I fell in the lake and a mermaid attacked me!"

"You fell into the lake?" He nodded, "Yes!"

She shook her head and began mumbling something he couldn't hear as she looked through a medicine cabinet and pulled out a dark blue liquid. She poured it into a large glass and handed it to me, "Drink this all and your hearing should be back to normal in a few minutes."

Hitsugaya nodded, and quickly drank the potion that tasted somewhat like rice if he wasn't mistaken. He was taken off guard when the nurse suddenly ducked down and grabbed his swore ankle, "Excuse me!!"

"My Lord boy, what are you doing to yourself?! I've seen you in here more then Potter and that's saying something." She shoved him back onto the bed as she easily removed his sandal and shredded sock.

He looked down to find five deep gashes from where the mermaid had grabbed him. Pomfrey carefully looked them over before she went about healing the slashes.

Hitsugaya grimaced when there was a loud popping sound in his ears but was happy to find that his hearing had returned. He could now hear what the nurse was mumbling about and it seemed she was raging on about how he seemed to have a blatant disregard for his own health and safety.

"I apologize for taking up so much of your time." She looked up from her work and grabbed him by the head before quickly looking into both of his ears, "Good, your ear drums are all healed. No loud noises for the next few days though or you might have some permanent scarring." He nodded. "It's not that I mind you taking up my time but you need to be more careful."

"I will be."

She sighed as he straightened up and handed him back his shoe and sock, "Well you'd best get down to breakfast, but I suggest you change before class. You're soaking wet."

"I've noticed."

---

When he arrived back at the hall he found Neville and Luna waiting for him. His fellow Gryffindor stepped quirked an eyebrow, "So where exactly were you before?"

"I was down at the lake." Neville stared, "The Lake."

Hitsugaya nodded, "Yes. I slipped."

"Uh huh."

Luna stepped forward to pull some bits of plant from his hair, "You should be much more careful when traveling along the water. The mermaids do not take kindly to students."

"Yes, I got the message."

"Toshiro," Neville started confusion flickering across his face, "Is that a _sword_?" The transfer student glanced down to the recently retrieved blade in his hand, "Why yes it is."

"Its quite lovely," Luna said kindly as she wrapped her arm in his and began leading him towards the Great Hall. "You look different today."

"Well I don't believe you've ever seen me soaking wet."

"Yes…much different. But I like you better this way," she said dreamily as they walked down the Ravenclaw table ignoring the stares and horrified glances of the others as they sat down together.

Neville soon joined them though he seemed rather nervous about sitting at a house table other then his own.

"…uh Toshiro," he called. "You're pocket. I think it's moving." The Shinigami glanced down to find that his friend was right, his pocket _was_ moving.

He reached a hand into the folds of his robe to grab something wet and slimy and pulled it out with it in his grasp.

Ravenclaws stared over as he slammed the fish on the table, "That explains that I suppose."

The entire table was silent before an odd choking sound met his ears and he turned to find Luna red in the face. Neville looked at her concernedly, "Are you alright?"

The blonde burst into hysterical laughter as she clutched her sides nodding as she did. Neville stared at her and was soon snickering along with her until he too burst out laughing gasping out the word 'fish' between bouts.

Hitsugaya watched the two and soon found himself chuckling along with them.

"W-what are you going to do with it," Neville asked as he finally caught his breath.

"I was thinking I could give it to Ran for breakfast."

Neville nodded, "He'll like that, but you'd better get going if you want a chance to change before class…plus Professor McGonagall is coming and she doesn't look happy."

Toshiro let his gaze slide in the direction of the head table to see McGonagall stalking over with a frown in place.

"Mr. Hitsugaya, please explain to me why you are dripping on the floors," she said as stepped around the large puddle that had formed. Shinigami robes were notorious for holding water.

"I fell into the lake."

"And what pray tell were you doing down there this early in the morning?" He shrugged, "I thought I'd go for a walk."

Her glare turned to a look of horror as she spotted Hyorinmaru, "My lord. OUT! Get that out of my school!"

The hall went silent as everyone who had arrived so far for breakfast turned to find the source of the commotion. Toshiro looked down at the katana in his lap, "I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Are you alright Professor," Neville asked "There's a vein on your forehead sticking out."

"Mr. Hitsugaya I wand that weapon put away and you can bet that the Headmaster will hear of this," she hissed. "Now I want you to go clean yourself up before you catch cold and you'd better be on time to class. If you're late it's a detention."

He nodded curtly before standing and making his way out of the hall absentmindedly waving goodbye to his friends.

"And for God's sake try not to drip on everything!"

* * *

Harry yawned as he sat up in bed and grabbed his glasses from his bedside table, "Ron, get up. We slept in."

The redhead groaned and ducked beneath the covers.

"Ron," he sighed as he slipped from the bed "We're going to be la—AH!"

"Harry?! What's wron—ow!"

The youngest Weasley son groaned as he rubbed his head, "Why the hell is the floor all wet?"

Harry moaned as he sat up, "I don't know. But I think I bruised my tail bone." They both clambered to their feet to find the source of the water: a very wet Hitsugaya.

"Toshiro?" Ron asked as he stretched out his back and went about putting on his uniform, "Why the bloody hell are you soaking wet?"

The boy began pulling off his robes, "I went for a swim."

"Fully clothed?"

"I didn't bring a swim suit."

Both teens shared a look wondering if he was actually being serious.

Harry clucked his tongue as he began getting dressed, "Okay, so are you serious or—

"Sarcasm Potter," Hitsugaya sighed as he slipped his arms through a new white dress shirt and began buttoning it while looking for a tie.

"I suggest you hurry or we're going to be late for Transfiguration. Hagrid says hello, I suggest you go see him there seems to be something going on with Buckbeak because of the Malfoy incident."

They heard a yelp from the stairwell, "WHY are the goddamn stairs all wet?!"

Ron and Harry looked to the white haired transfer who simply shrugged, "I suggest you watch yourselves on the stairs."

"Thanks for the advice," The Boy Who Lived chuckled as he did up his tie and slipped on his shoes. "You seem in a good mood today."

Toshiro hn'ed as he shook out his wet hair making it even messier than normal, "It's been an…entertaining morning."

The three left the room and _carefully_ made their way down the stairs before hurrying off to Transfiguration.

Thankfully they were just in time and Toshiro took his regular seat at the front with Neville while Harry and Ron sat in back with Hermione.

McGonagall watched them from her place at the front of the class sitting behind her desk, "It's nice to see you dry Mr. Hitsugaya."

"It's wonderful _to_ _be_ dry Professor," the transfer muttered as he flipped through his text book.

"Alright, everyone take out your essays and flip to page…"

---

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You three were cutting it awfully close."

Ron shrugged as he turned the pages of his book absentmindedly, "Yeah we slept in."

She snorted, "Well I was thinking that we might want to see Dumbledore if we want answers about what Toshiro really is. If he hired him he has to know."

Harry nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. We can do it after dinner. By the way we need to see Hagrid as well. Something's going on with Buckbeak and that git Malfoy."

Hermione looked at him worriedly, "What's happening?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Hitsugaya just told me this morning that Hagrid said hello and that there was something going on so we should go see him."

She nodded, "We can go after we speak with the Headmaster. By the way, why was he all wet earlier? I saw him at breakfast and he was actually dripping."

"He fell in the Lake," Ron supplied.

"The Lake? What was he doing down there?"

"Taking a swim apparently."

"In his clothes?"

The two boys sighed.

* * *

1. Mermaids traditionally love hair. Toshiro has awesome white hair. Of course they'd want it!

* * *

**Okay so I was wondering if you guys wanted the whole Hermione and the Time Turner thing in the story because if you do I'm going to have to start working it in. I think I'd rather skip over it…its too much of a hassle so I'd like to just work around it…but if you guys want I'll put it in like…next chapter. Ugh. Hm…but maybe I'll need to put it in…think Jacqueline think! Uh…hm. I…might…need to. Hm…but then again if I follow the movie version…hm…I guess it depends if I really want to stick to the story line or kinda' follow the beat of my own drum…okay I've figured out how I could work around it. But it's still up to you. **

**A: Yes**

**B: No**

**C: Up to you (meaning: maybe but leaning towards no)**

**Thanks for reading.**

**ForeverFalling. **


	19. The Walking Dead

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Sorry about the delay on this but I had to update my other story which I've been neglecting which took a while. It's almost done though so soon enough I'll be able to just write for this one. So I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and all those who voted. I'm a very indecisive person so this really helps.

**The Winner of Last Chapter's Vote Was: No**

…**Oh, thank God**

**PS. I wrote a new one shot called Forgotten One. It's my first one actually under the Bleach category other then this and it's about (of course) Toshiro. Check it out**!

_

* * *

_

"_He fell in the Lake," Ron supplied._

"_The Lake? What was he doing down there?"_

"_Taking a swim apparently."_

"_In his clothes?"_

_The two boys sighed._

_

* * *

_

The day had passed in a blur of assigned essays, assignments, notes and lessons. Care of Magical Creatures had been interesting to say the least. It seemed now that Fang had discovered the joy of terrorizing Toshiro he was loath to give it up.

For the duration of the lesson the small taicho had been busy fending off the overly large dog much to the amusement of his fellow Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Eventually Hagrid was forced to intervene and lock the hound up back in his cabin. The howls had been annoying to say the least.

The Shinigami growled as he tried and failed to wipe the drool from his uniform, "That stupid beast is going to be the death of me."

"Oh, he just really likes you Toshiro," Neville laughed as he picked stray pieces of fur off of the back of his small friend's uniform, "Maybe if you actually played with him instead of ducking in the opposite direction he wouldn't have jumped on you."

Toshiro frowned up at the other teen, "If that behemoth of a dog was running at _you_ full force would you stay in place?" The brunette shrugged, "Well he's not really all that big; you're just—

Hitsugaya glared and his friend instantly snapped his mouth shut.

"Uh, yes well…," Neville spluttered "The weather…is lovely."

The taicho rolled his eyes, but agreed none the less. The cold weather from the morning had persisted and a thin layer of snow now covered the grounds. Seeing as it was early November it really wasn't a surprise and yet no one seemed happy about the changing of the seasons.

While the others shivered and grumbled as they shank deeper into their thick cloaks Toshiro only wore his thin robe and a Ravenclaw scarf that Luna had wrapped around his neck when he'd passed her when he was headed to Care of Magical Creatures as she returned to the castle from the same class.

Today's lesson was focused on the different creatures that could be found in the Forbidden Forest.

"Now, we got a large herd of Centaur and we've also got some unicorns too, you'll have a full lesson on them sometime next year. Then there are the normal forest animals like foxes and we had a wolf pack back in my day, might still be a few…paranoid Ministry saw fit ta' hunt 'em down," he trailed off with a grumble.

Hitsugaya raised his hand and the Professor stopped his ramblings at the sight of it, "Wha' can I do for ya Toshiro?"

"I was wondering about those large black horses."

Many students turned to stare at him. Neville nodded, "Yeah, the ones that pull the carriages. They're always following him around."

"Longbottom you moron, the carriages pull themselves. You're even more of a freak then I thought Hitsugaya," Malfoy sneered as most of the other Slytherins laughed.

The others glanced away from the scene with worried looks and the taicho had a feeling that they knew what he was talking about. Soon the debate had pitted Gryffindor against Slytherin-big surprise-and a fight between Malfoy and Potter seemed immanent.

Neville chuckled, "Looks like he's defending your honour."

"They're simply arguing for the sake of arguing. If one says dog the other says cat," Toshiro snapped as he glared.

"Easy," his friend said "It was just a joke."

"And to think, everyone thinks you're all quiet and shy. If they only knew."

Neville smiled, "If only. I wonder what we're going to be doing in Divination today…"

The taicho shrugged as he exhaled, "Something utterly useless I assure you."

The other Gryffindor nodded, "Well that goes without saying. But we'll be using the crystal balls today so she'll leave us alone for most of the lesson. It won't be too bad."

"Hm, I suppose."

---

Apparently a fight was not to be because the school bell had echoed across the lawns before the first punch or jinx could be thrown.

Potter along with Ron and Hermione had stayed back to speak with Hagrid most likely about his Hippogriff issues. They reappeared mid-Divination class just as everyone was settling in to stare into their crystal balls.

Thankfully Neville had picked a table off to the side of the room which left Toshiro free to lean against the cold stone wall and relax. There was no way he was going to waste his time.

"I see smoke," Neville sighed "This is hopeless; I'm no good at Divination"

Hitsugaya hummed in agreement but didn't even bother to open his eyes.

"Toshiro, Trelawney's going to be angry is she catches you sleeping in her class."

"I'm not asleep; I'm simply resting my eyes."

"So what do you think of the Quidditch match," Neville asked clearly content to forgo the lesson for the time being. The Shinigami shrugged, "I don't really care either way. Win or lose it's all the same to me."

"It's between Gryffindor and Slytherin which means it's a big event."

"So there aren't any classes tomorrow then," Toshiro asked as he cracked open a single eye. Neville nodded as he looked up, "Yes, classes are cancelled for the day."

"Hn. Maybe it won't be so bad after all."

---

Harry sighed as he gave up staring into his crystal ball, "Well this is just pointless…so we're going to see Dumbledore after dinner right?" Ron nodded vaguely as he tried not to fall asleep while Hermione flipped through the text and mumbled (1), "We can speak with him when we're done eating I'm sure he won't mind."

"But we can't take too long, I have to get to bed for the match tomorrow."

His friend nodded absentmindedly, "Yes, yes don't worry. We'll have plenty of time."

Harry frowned but let his gaze slid across the room. Green eyes fell upon the scene of a bored looking Neville and a fast asleep Hitsugaya. Neville said something and a teal eye cracked open so apparently the transfer was actually awake.

He could feel the familiar feeling of excitement beginning to build in his chest at the thought of the match the next day. The practices had been gruelling but hopefully it would all pay off at tomorrow's game.

It would all be worth it.

---

Hitsugaya stared as Ron once again somehow found a way to speak around a mouthful of food. The taicho finally looked away from the disgusting sight as he popped a grape into his mouth.

"So, Luna said she'd meet us down at the pitch tomorrow," Neville said as he cut into some chicken. Toshiro nodded, "Sounds good."

He picked up a sandwich and took a small bite before almost gagging on it. _Beef_. He'd never been one for the meat before but after the morning's incident he'd been permanently turned off.

The taicho coughed into one of the spare napkins which caught the attention of those sitting around him. Hermione's gaze slid from the sandwich to the coughing boy and her eyes widened, "Oh God. He ate the food; he's having an allergic reaction!" Neville looked horrified as he began to thump his friend on the back.

"Someone, get Madame Pomfrey," Harry called as he stood up yet everyone remained still as they watched the event unfold. Toshiro was too busy coughing after he practically _inhaled_ a piece of the sandwich thanks to _someone _smacking him across the back to say anything to stop him.

Ron climbed over to his side of the table and handed him a glass of water, "Here, drink this mate." The white haired Shinigami accepted it with a nod of thanks and gulped down the water before slamming the glass down.

After catching his breath he turned to glare at his friend, "Neville, generally when someone has food in their mouth it's a good idea NOT to hit them across the back!"

Thankfully over the loud din of the hall none of the teacher's had been alerted and even most of the students from the other tables hadn't noticed what was transpiring.

"Toshiro are you alright," Hermione asked worriedly as she held his head tightly in her hands and looked straight into his eyes. He nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."

"You can breathe? You're not breaking out in hives," she mumbled as she looked him over. "Is your throat getting tight? Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Don't worry we'll get you to the Hospital Wing."

Toshiro slapped her hands away, "I'm _fine_. I don't need to go to the Hospital Wing."

Neville hunched down to get a good look at him, "Are you sure? You look pale."

Ron rolled his eyes, "He's always pale Neville."

"For the last time I'm fine," Toshiro snapped as he grabbed another glass of water off of the table and downed it.

"B-but your allergies," Hermione spluttered. The taicho stopped for a moment…this was going to take some explaining.

"Ah…yes well…when… I was in the Hospital Wing this morning I mentioned them to Madame Pomfrey and she gave me a potion to alleviate them. Quite new from what she told me and uh… as you can see I just discovered that beef is not to my liking."

Neville nodded unsurely, "Well, that makes sense I suppose."

Ron stared for a moment, "Wait…so you're telling me, that after all your life of barely being able to eat anything....your allergies are cured?"

"Uh…yes?"

The redhead burst into a happy laughed as he slapped the white haired student across the back-Lord he wished they'd all stop doing that-, "What a day! Come here," he smiled as he picked up a large piece of cake. "You ever had cake before? Bet you haven't, so try some! Oh, and then you can have some pumpkin juice and then you have got to try the kidney pie! And wait till the Christmas feast! You'll have to try everything!"

The youngest Weasley son continued to push plates of food to the taicho who looked at it all with a grimace. Just the thought of eating all of it made him feel sick to his stomach, "Really, I couldn't possibly eat all this. In fact I'm already quite full—

"From a bite of a sandwich?! No way! Come on try this!"

The redhead was worse than Ukitake…

---

Once dinner was over Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way up towards the head table. Hermione was still huffy over the incident during dinner, "I almost had a heart attack! I thought he was going to stop breathing or something!"

Harry nodded, "Me too. But I'm glad he's alright."

Several of the staff members broke off from their conversations as the three walked over and the Headmaster looked up from his plate, "Ah, what can I do for you three?"

"Well Professor," Hermione started "We were hoping we could speak with you?"

Dumbledore, "Oh most certainly." After a moment of silence…

"Alone?"

"Oh, yes of course," the old man said as he stood and bid the other teachers good night.

The three teens followed him through the halls until they reached the large gargoyle. The Headmaster told the stone figure the password and it quickly turned to reveal the revolving staircase.

When Dumbledore was finally seated behind his desk Ron sat in the only available chair-oblivious to Hermione's glare-so the other two remained standing.

"Now what can I do for you three," the man asked as he leaned forward and laced his fingers together.

"We have some questions," Harry started.

"Well by all means ask away, that's part of my profession."

"Uh, they're about Toshiro Hitsugaya." Dumbledore leaned back in his seat.

"We've…noticed some things," Hermione spoke up.

"Weird things," Ron chirped. The headmaster quirked an eyebrow, "What sort of things?"

"Look Professor," Harry sighed "We confronted him and he said that _you_ hired him to _protect_ me."

"I'm afraid that's true Harry." The Boy Who Lived glowered, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself thank you!"

"Just call it an old man's paranoia. Now, is that all you wished to speak with me about?"

Hermione shook her head, "Sir, we were curious about Toshiro's background and we looked up some records in the library…and what we found was quite unsettling."

The headmaster gave her an encouraging nod.

"We found only one Toshiro Hitsugaya in the birth records, but that child died in 1872."

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence Miss Granger."

"But that's just it sir," she protested. "I used a spell to reveal what the boy looked like and it was the Toshiro we know!"

"Actually that Toshiro had black hair," Ron pointed out. His two friends glared before turning back to the headmaster.

"It was him sir. But we can't think of any explanation," Harry said frustrated "A youth potion wouldn't work, he's not some vampire or anything! We have no idea, but you must. I mean you hired him!"

Dumbledore sighed, "I'm afraid even I don't know what he is."

"But you admit that he's not human," Hermione asked rather fearfully.

"I believe he was human once," the man confided as he conjured two more chairs and the teens gratefully sat. "I'll take it you noticed the absence of the ghosts in the beginning of the year?" The three nodded.

"When we found them, Sir Nicholas tipped us off that something was coming. As you can imagine Mr. Hitsugaya fit the description and he was brought in. After an interrogation we discovered a rather…startling fact about your young friend."

Silence permeated the air.

"We discovered that Toshiro Hitsugaya has been dead for a hundred and twenty-one years."

Hermione sighed, "Sir we already knew that."

"Wait, does that mean that the kid we know really isn't Toshiro Hitsugaya? He's just…pretending? It's just a coincidence that they look that similar," Ron asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid not Mr. Weasley, what I mean to say is that the boy you've been living with, have befriended, he is no longer alive and hasn't been for some time."

* * *

1. I think I might just keep her in the class for the entire story.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So, the new Harry Potter movie is out and I've seen it twice; once opening day and the other with my brother the other day. I really liked it; it was a lot better then the last two if you ask me. I loved the first three movies and then after that…I was always disappointed. But this one was so funny and then at the end it gave you that lump in your throat. It wasn't always faithful to the book…actually…it changed a lot of stuff but they did it well and still included some things that could have been left out if they'd wanted but they left it in like the twin's joke shop and the Aragog's funeral. It was light hearted when compared to the last movie which I HATED. The fifth is my favourite book, so maybe that's partly why but if you ask me they just BUTCHERED it and I was hoping they do it justice. This one, I must say is the best since the Prisoner of Azkaban (at least to me). I was pleasantly surprised I must say and if they keep this up the next two should be amazing. I'm glad they decided to make the Deathly Hallows a two part-er, considering how much content there is, its really needed…plus I have a feeling if they skip out on too much fans would be pissed (I sure as hell would be). OH! Something I **loved **about the new movie: they included Tonk's and Lupin's relationship, it wasn't big but they included it! I hope they include Teddy in the next movie! Thanks for reading

ForeverFalling.

PS. Check out the new one shot if you have time!


	20. Steadfast

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to everyone who reviewed you're all great. I'm actually proud of how quickly I got this chapter out. It was hard to write, but I enjoyed it and it's actually a decent length.

**Over 600 reviews! You guys are simply amazing.**

****I'm finally getting around to CHANGING THE NAME of this story so there's a POLL set up with what…five? I think it's five…and I'm too lazy to double check, name choices. SO! Take your pick!!****

_

* * *

_

_"Wait, does that mean that the kid we know really isn't Toshiro Hitsugaya? He's just…pretending? It's just a coincidence that they look that similar," Ron asked incredulously._

_"I'm afraid not Mr. Weasley, what I mean to say is that the boy you've been living with, have befriended, he is no longer alive and hasn't been for some time."_

_

* * *

_

"Are you saying he's some sort of…Inferi," Hermione asked in a disgusted tone.

"No, no an Inferi is just a reanimated corpse. Mr. Hitsugaya…is alive… and dead."

Harry blinked, "How can someone be alive but dead?"

"He can bleed, he can eat, his heart beats just as any other and he feels pain just as you and I do and yet when I looked up his birth records and had someone travel to where he was buried, they found the bones, although they were very brittle, of a boy(1). When measured they matched Toshiro Hitsugaya's approximate height and weight."

"But…how," Ron asked clearly feeling just as confused as his friends.

"I'm afraid I don't know. But they were his bones."

Hermione looked rather green, "But-but he's a-alive! He sits next to Neville in class and laughs occasionally and he speaks and sleeps and— this just doesn't make sense. He's not any type of magical creature I've ever heard of and there's no other Toshiro Hitsugaya in the records and he matches the description perfectly but that child is _dead_! It's…impossible!"

"Exactly my thinking," The headmaster nodded "And yet here we are with a, by all rights, dead boy in our midst."

"Does anyone other than you know this," Harry asked.

"Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin all know of this matter to a certain extent as does Mr. Olivander. I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to tell them this new information."

"So do you know where he's from," Ron questioned.

The Headmaster nodded, "From what Professor Snape gathered during our interrogation he comes from a militaristic society. He's a warrior of sorts which is clearly evident by his carrying around a sword. We've discovered that before he died he was born and raised in Japan but his cause of death wasn't recorded other than 'accident'," he continued.

"I've concluded from looking at the uniform he was seen wearing the other day that his society emulates Middle Eastern countries by way of culture, unless that's just his own personal choice of dress."

"So wait," Harry started "You mean to tell me, that you have no way of knowing why he's really here or what he is but you hired him?!"

The headmaster shook his head, "Oh, I know why he's here; he was sent here on a mission."

"A mission," the two boys asked.

"Professor," Hermione interrupted "Why don't you just tell us everything from the beginning?"

The man nodded, "I received a letter at the beginning of the term from Olivander telling me that he'd sold a wand to a most…peculiar child. I didn't think much of it at the time and yet when the students began arriving I couldn't help but notice that the castle had suddenly become scarce of ghosts."

Ron nodded, "Yeah, it was like all just up and disappeared.

"When we did in fact locate them Sir Nicholas was kind enough to give us an explanation. It seemed that there was something coming. An enemy that he feared. Something that would come under the guise of a white haired student. My thoughts immediately flew to Mr. Hitsugaya seeing as I'd already received a warning prior to his arrival and he matched the description we'd been given."

"Was Mr. Olivander the one you had look into Toshiro's burial site," Hermione asked curiously.

The Headmaster nodded, "Yes, in fact he's been quite helpful. But I digress, I brought Mr. Hitsugaya in for questioning right away and it became clear that he wasn't human right away. In the end we were forced to question him under threat of wand and several Dementors who seem to have some very…adverse effects on him."

"Worse then Harry," Ron piped up. "Oh yes, quite," the man nodded

"Professor Snape discovered that there is something in his mind…some sort of entity that the Dementors seemed to help keep at bay and he said that from what he gathered it was as if the Dementors were _eating _the boy."

"E-eating him," Hermione blanched "How could they possibly be eating him?! Dementors live off of the souls of the living."

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled "Now here is where a little theory of mine comes into play."

The three Gryffindors leaned forward in their seats.

"You're quite right to say that Dementors only eat souls, that fact is irrefutable. So, if they're eating our young friend it must mean that he in fact is actually only a soul that has somehow taken on a solid form."

At there questioning looks he stated, "Don't ask me how that's possible because I myself am in the dark just as you are."

"So he's a soul," Harry asked suspiciously.

"That would be my theory."

"Then why did you hire him?" Dumbledore laughed, "Who better to protect the school from a murderer then someone who is already dead and can't be killed?"

Hermione grimaced, "I suppose. But it seems almost cruel to exploit his circumstances like that."

"My dear girl, don't worry about him. He can be very dangerous when he wants to be as I found out when questioning him."

"Dangerous," Ron squeaked as he paled.

"As I said, he's a warrior. He seems to be able to control magic without a wand in a way one would only expect to find when someone practices dark magic. He's also very volatile, so I warn you three to be careful around him."

"But he's our friend," Hermione protested.

"You may very well think that Miss Granger," Dumbledore frowned "But he is a creature of the likes the wizarding world has yet to see. He's older then I and yet he appears to be thirteen if not younger. The only reason he's even under my control is because I told him that if he didn't cooperate I would be forced to alert the Ministry of his existence. I'm quite surprised he managed to befriend a gentle soul such as Neville Longbottom."

Harry glared, "So you're saying that you've blackmailed him into risking his _life_?"

"Harry," The man sighed "If he wasn't kept in check there was no telling of the havoc he could have brought upon the school! By doing this I've protected the students and staff from two threats."

"But he's one of the students too," Ron protested. "That's just not right!"

"Mr. Weasley I assure you that no harm will come to your friend. He's already faced Black once and he was fine."

The three stopped short at that until Harry growled, "You mean when he disappeared into the hospital wing for a day and night?! How is that 'fine'? You've got him working around these Dementors that are apparently _eating_ him. EATING. Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?"

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry if I had a choice I would gladly break our contract but for the good of the school I cannot. He's here to protect everyone, including your three, from Sirius Black."

Hermione frowned, "Does all this have something to do with his transfer to Gryffindor?"

The man shook his head, "No, that was simply for surveillance purposes I assure you."

"I…don't like this," Harry stated "He's not human which is just…disturbing. The whole dead thing makes me a little sick actually, not to mention these powers…but it's not right that you're using him. I get that you're trying to protect us but wouldn't it have been better if you'd just sent him away from the school?"

"I'm afraid that didn't seem like an option at the time," He said solemnly "He's been sent here on a mission and he said himself he'd destroy any obstacles in his path in order to complete it. It seemed to me that keeping him here, yet on a leash if you will, was the only way to ensure that he didn't become violent. I used the situation to our advantage in the only way I saw fit, and so far I'd say it's worked out exceedingly well."

"I'll admit I'm not very comfortable with this," Hermione said quietly. "If he's really that dangerous…maybe he shouldn't be here sir. I mean he's living with us. And as Harry said before, the whole dead business makes me feel ill. I mean to think he's actually…and I stood up for him whenever people called him a jinx or a freak…"

Ron nodded, "He seems like an alright bloke, and I think him being used like this is wrong but…its going to be weird from now on. Knowing that he's actually some sort of thing that could kill us if we got in his way."

"We just have to proceed with caution," Dumbledore said stoically "For now he is under control and using his abilities to protect us."

"But what's to stop him from teaming up with Black if he's ticked about all this," Ron asked.

"If he did switch sides I would call in the Ministry. But at the moment the only thing protecting him from the Dementors is this castle and my orders. I doubt he'd forget that."

"So this entire situation," Hermione frowned "Is…all under control."

"Yes, completely. You have nothing to worry about as long as you tread lightly with Mr. Hitsugaya."

"Are you going to tell anyone about all this," The girl asked. Dumbledore sighed, "The staff will have to be notified but I feel the students don't need to know."

"But what about Neville," Ron asked. "I think he'd wanna' know that is best mate is actually lying to him about everything. Hell he's not even alive!"

"You may notify him if you deem it necessary. But I ask that you three show some digression and be careful with whom you share this information. We don't want to cause a panic now do we?"

"No sir," They mumbled.

---

Toshiro sneezed as he sat next to the window with Ran in his lap.

"Bless you," Neville said as he bit back a yawn. "You getting sick?"

"Hn, I don't get sick." The taller boy nodded as he leaned back in his chair, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were. You walk around dressed like its spring."

The white haired shinigami rolled his eyes but let the comment slide.

The common room was surprisingly quiet for once. Most of the others had gone to bed or were sitting trying to finish up their homework before turning in for the night.

"Remind me to return Luna's scarf at breakfast tomorrow," Hitsugaya grumbled as Ran nipped at his finger.

"She said you could keep it. I thought it was standard for all students to get a scarf with their uniform," Neville hummed.

"Yes well, I told the woman I wouldn't be needing one."

"You're just lucky Luna had an extra."

Toshiro glared, "I'm quite fine in the cold thank you."

His friend sighed but decided to just let it go and the two lapsed into silence again. They both looked up when the portrait hole swung open and Harry along with his friends climbed through.

Toshiro frowned with Hermione flinched away when he caught her eye. In fact all three seemed to be looking any where _but_ him as they hurried up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitory. Neville had turned around in his chair to watch them go, "Well…that was odd."

"Hm…yes."

"I wonder what their problem was." The Shinigami nodded, "Do you know where they were coming from?"

His friend frowned, "I uh, think they mentioned wanting to speak with Dumbledore after dinner. Maybe he had bad news? Oh I hope nothing happened to their families!"

Hitsugaya turned back to the window, "Don't worry. Nothing happened to their families, in fact I have a feeling I know exactly what's bothering them."

"Oh," Neville asked "What?"

Toshiro shook his head, "They'll be telling you soon enough."

The taller Gryffindor frowned, "Is something the matter?"

"No, everything's fine. I suspect they'll want to speak privately with you once morning comes, if not when you go up to bed."

"Can't _you_ tell me what it's about?"

The ice wielder smirked, "I'd hate to ruin the surprise."

---

Morning hadn't come quickly enough for Harry as he'd been plagued with nightmares of swords and zombies covered in blood and wearing the face of Toshiro Hitsugaya.

He'd agreed with Ron and Hermione that they'd take Neville aside before breakfast and tell him the truth. He deserved that much.

The Boy Who Lived almost felt guilty for deciding to tell the other boy about his friend. Maybe it was because Toshiro was the first _real_ friend Neville had had. Even if he was some sort of…creature, there was no denying that Hitsugaya was good to the normally very shy Gryffindor.

Along with Luna Lovegood they'd formed their own little band of misfits and outcasts. Hermione had once called it cute. Harry wouldn't personally phrase it that way, but he understood where she was coming from. It made him nervous to think that he might be tearing that friendship apart with what he was about to do.

The green eyed teen sighed as he pulled on his shoes and fixed his tie. Glancing over at Ron he could see that the redhead was as nervous as he was.

When they were both ready the two friends stared at each other for a moment before they nodded and left the Dormitory.

They found Hermione waiting at the foot of the stairs with a look of unease on her face but determination burning in her eyes, "Are you two ready?" They both nodded. "I suppose we'll just pull him aside and tell him. Just get it out quickly; like ripping off a band aid."

"Ripping off a what?"

Harry and the bushy haired girl both turned to find Ron looking at them curiously, "What's a band aid."

"It's a muggle thing," Harry sighed as he scanned the common room and found Neville tying his shoe while sitting in one of the chairs, "Well come on. Let's get this over with."

His friends followed after him as he made his way over to the clumsy teen.

"Uh, Neville?" Said boy looked up, "Oh hello."

"Where's Toshiro," Ron asked as he looked anxiously about the room.

"He got up really early and went for a walk before breakfast. Actually," Neville smiled "He said that you'd probably come and talk to me this morning. So what do you want to tell me?"

Harry fought back the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat, "Well…"

So they told him.

They told him everything that they knew and what Dumbledore had said. Hermione had taken over about half way through the explanation with Ron throwing in something as well occasionally.

At first Neville had looked curious, and then his face had paled slightly until it'd turned a nasty shade of green. By the time they'd finished the teen was white lipped and very pale, "So…you're saying…?" The three nodded.

"Oh Lord," Neville gasped as he held his head in his hands. "All-all this time and he's been…God."

"We're really sorry Neville," Hermione whispered as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We thought you had a right to know."

He nodded, "Kind of wish I didn't know though."

"Tell me about it," Ron grumbled from his place on the floor.

When Neville stood the all stared.

"Where are you going," Hermione asked quietly. He sighed, "I told Toshiro I'd meet him down in the Great Hall for breakfast."

There was a moment of silence among the only four occupants of the common room.

"You mean you're still going to hang out with him," Ron practically yelled incredulously. He nodded, "Of course, he's my friend."

"But Neville," Hermione spoke up "He's dangerous! Not to mention he's not even alive."

"Well he hasn't done anything to hurt me now has he," The teen said as he pulled on his robe with shaky hands. "I mean, I'm freaked, _really_ freaked out," He said with a grimace on his pale face "But…he's my friend. One of the first good friends I've ever had. I can't just forget that. My Gran told me to stick up for my friends, she'd kill me if she found out I'd abandoned one."

"You're insane Longbottom," Ron said with a hint of awe in his voice "You really are."

The other nodded, "I think I just might be. But…I have to at least talk to him. He deserves to have his say. And…I want to know why he didn't tell me. He lied to me about a lot of stuff. About his family and home life…I—I trusted him. I need to figure out why he did this because— because you're not supposed to lie to your best friend!"

The three friends stared for a moment.

"Just be careful," Harry warned when he finally gathered himself, seriously doubting the sanity of the teen in front of him.

The four headed down the breakfast in relative silence, all of them caught up in their own thoughts as they walked. The trio stopped at the door to the Great Hall while Neville continued in to sit down beside Toshiro and Luna at the Ravenclaw table.

"He's either really brave or he's a complete idiot," Ron said as he shook his head.

"I don't know how he does it," Harry agreed. Just looking at the dead boy sent chills down his spine and made his stomach twist. As he stared at the pale skin, he could image the flesh begin to melt away and decay before his very eyes until it was as if he was looking at something out of a horror movie.

"You're right," Hermione said, breaking him out of his thoughts "It's completely stupid, and dangerous and down right idiotic heck he could get killed! Buts it's brave of him too, to stand up for his friend like that. I wouldn't be able to do it… I can barely _look_ at him," she finished with a disgusted look on her face.

Harry agreed, "Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that Hitsugaya's dangerous. We're going to have to be careful from now on. Neville might have the right idea though, about talking to him I mean."

Hermione nodded, "You're right. We need to get some answers and he's the only one with them. He might not be holding all the cards like we thoughts but he's still got a good hand."

She glanced over at Neville who seemed to have put a bit more distance between himself and Toshiro then normal, but he was still chatting with his friend as he always did, "Good God is he ever brave."

Ron stared with a pained look before rolling his eyes, "Brave? Maybe. Completely insane? Definitely."

* * *

1. I looked into it and it can take a little over a hundred years for the bones (if buried properly) to disintegrate, so it's actually accurate to say that they were still there, just brittle and very breakable I suppose.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Okay, so I've officially decided that I'm going to write a sequel to this. It's going to be a crossover between Bleach and the Order of the Phoenix. I have yet to choose a title but I already know roughly how I'm going to write it. I'm going to try and steer clear of all cliché crossover moments, or at least as many as I can just as I am trying to do in this story. Unlike this story I'm going to stick purely to the book and not follow the movie what so ever because damn I HATED it. The Order of the Phoenix is my favourite book so I hope to do it justice. Luna will be easier to work into the story and Neville has more moments in this book as well which is nice (especially the hospital scene). I'm also toying with the idea of having Toshiro spend some of his time with Neville instead of staying at Grimmauld Place for those few weeks. I'm actually very excited to write it! Hell, if I wanted I could put him back in Ravenclaw, although I probably won't because of the relationship I have going between him and Neville. Anyway, I'm getting a little a head of myself on this. I'm not even half way done _this_ story *laughs* Thanks for reading.

ForeverFalling.


	21. Apocalypse

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Okay, so the poll worked out quite well and I'd like to thank everyone who voted. Seriously, this is the only way I can get past my indecisiveness… The chapter's a little short but damn did I ever have fun writing the ending.

The Clear Winner of the Poll and the New Title for This Story is: THE DEAD OF WINTER.

THE NAME WILL BE CHANGED ON JULY 30th

*****PS* Several…I think like 8 people actually have asked if there's going to be any pairings in this story so I thought I'd just clear this up: No, there will be no pairings. I can't write romance to save my life…okay I've actually never tried but I'm not at all tempted to dabble in it. Plus personally, I don't like it when there's a pairing between two characters from different shows. It bugs me quite a bit actually…anyway so that means…No Toshiro x Luna and no Toshiro x Hermione and no Toshiro x Neville or Neville x Toshiro. I'll probably never write a yaoi. There's no way I could do it. I'd cry, you'd cry, we'd all cry from its pure horridness.

**PPS. I'm posting this at 4:30 in the morning and I actually had to get up early today so that doesn't help the editing process. If there are any grammatical errors that I missed I'll look over this again later and find them cause I'm seriously tried. Night everyone! **

* * *

"_Good God is he ever brave."_

_Ron stared with a pained look before rolling his eyes, "Brave? Maybe. Completely insane? Definitely." _

_

* * *

_

If someone said Hitsugaya was surprised that Neville was still on speaking terms with him, they wouldn't have been wrong.

The taicho had never had much experience with friendship but he'd thought that if your 'friend' had lied to you since you'd met about his being dead, that generally meant the end of the relationship.

Apparently he was wrong.

The boy seemed a tad more skittish around him and kept a little more distance between them but he was still there; sitting beside him as they ate breakfast.

The white haired student was listening to Luna drone on about some odd creature that apparently hid under your bed and stole your dreams, "It's quite common really." Toshiro nodded as he took a sip of some orange juice, "I'm sure it is."

Neville was sitting quietly picking away at his eggs before Hitsugaya finally sighed, "You can ask if you wish." The other looked up rather nervously, "Well I…"

Toshiro rolled his eyes, "There's no need for you to be nervous, it's not like I'm going to kill you for asking."

Neville paled for a moment before looking to Luna and back to him, "Is it alright…if she knows?" The Shinigami shrugged, "Knowing her, she's probably already aware of the situation."

The blonde looked up from her plate, "Hm…yes. Talking about it might be nice."

Neville stared, "You mean you knew? This entire time you knew?"

She nodded, "Of course."

"But-but how?!"

"Its Luna," Toshiro sighed "She notices these things."

He took a moment to recover before glaring at the white haired boy, "You should have told me."

The taicho rolled his eyes, "Yes, that's the perfect conversation starter isn't it? So Neville, I've been meaning to tell you I've actually been dead for quite a while. I can just imagine how well _that_ would have gone over."

"We both know you could have found a way to say it," he growled.

Toshiro shrugged, "Well you know now."

"Oh yes, I now know you're apparently some sort of un-dead, soul monster thing that might have come to kill us—

"If I'd wanted to kill you all you would all be long dead."

"And this is why you should have told me instead of Harry and them! They told me I shouldn't come near you anymore!"

"And yet here you are."

"Well I wasn't going to just…abandon you before hearing your side of the story."

Hitsugaya quirked an eyebrow, "You know that if I had been hell bent on killing everyone in the castle you would have probably just put yourself at the top of my 'To Murder' list."

"I-I'll admit it wasn't the smartest of plans."

"Rather idiotic actually."

"Quite," Luna chirped as she poured some water into her glass.

"Can we please be serious," Neville hissed "This isn't a joking matter."

The taicho stopped to consider for a moment that he'd finally found someone who understood his sense of humour, as subtle and dry as it was.

"I need you…to explain to me…what exactly is going on. Dumbledore, the most respected wizard in the world, says you're dangerous. But…he's wrong right? I mean this is all a misunderstanding, it just has to be."

Hitsugaya sighed, "There is a bit of a misunderstanding in some regards but I'll admit he's figured out the basics." Neville blanched, "So…you're really…dead?"

"In comparison to you, yes."

The other stared as he turned faintly green, "I know they told me and it-it scared me but sitting here I mean…it didn't seem possible and…I think I'm going to be sick."

Luna offered him a glass of water but he quickly waved it away.

"He's not taking it all that well is he," She said dreamily as she watched the Gryffindor splutter. Toshiro shrugged, "He could have passed out I suppose."

"How exactly was I supposed to take this," Neville shouted catching the attention of the rest of the Ravenclaw table. "This isn't something that most people expect to be told by friends!"

"Neville, lowering your voice would be a wise choice," Luna murmured as she buttered some toast, "Rhymes are quite lovely aren't they? Especially the accidental sort."

Neville seemed to deflate as he held his head in his hands, "Just- tell me what exactly is going on."

"I'm sure Potter and his band of fools has already told you."

He looked up, "Then I'm supposed to believe you're some undead soul thing who had originally come to kill us all until you were caught and stopped by Professor Dumbledore and are now being blackmailed by him to guard everyone from Sirius Black."

The taicho considered it for a moment, "Well when you say it like that I suppose it does sound rather farfetched." Neville growled, "Can we please just cut to the part where you tell me what the heck is going on?"

"Actually Toshiro, I wouldn't mind knowing why a soul such as yourself would come to Hogwarts," Luna said with a curious look on her face. Toshiro nodded, "As I'm sure Dumbledore neglected to tell Potter I'm simply for observation."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Neville growled "I want to know what _exactly_ you're supposed to be!"

The Shinigami sighed, "If that's what you want to know I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed. I have no intention of revealing anything about what I am other then what you already know." Neville glared, "Fine. But tell me everything else."

"You already know."

"I want to hear it from you."

"As I said I'm simply here to observe, that is my mission. I'm not here to harm anyone in fact in a way I was sent to oversee some matters to ensure the safety of everyone." The other frowned, "I'm still stuck on this dead business…but this means that," an amazed look made its way onto his face, "There's… an after life?"

The transfer nodded, "There is." The boy gaped, clearly astounded, "But-but what's it like?"

"Quite similar to this I suppose. Nothing really changes," Hitsugaya said thoughtfully. "We live, we die. We live in poverty or we're wealthy. The only real difference is that we're united under a common language."

"That's…_amazing_."

"Did you not believe in an after life before," Luna asked quietly. Neville frowned, "Well, I mean sure but it's different to hear that it's actually there."

Toshiro smirked realizing he'd thoroughly distracted the other boy. The living could be so simple at times. Dangle the answer to humanity's greatest question in front of them and they dropped everything.

"But wait," Neville started suddenly "Does Dumbledore know about the whole non-violent mission thing? I'm sure he'd be a lot more understanding if he did." Teal eyes narrowed, "He's not threatened by what I'm here to do. He's threatened by what I am simply because he doesn't know. According to him I'm a new species of magical creature which has yet to be properly discovered."

"Well he's not completely wrong, he's just going about everything the wrong way."

Toshiro glared, "I am not a creature."

"Yeah well apparently you're not human either," Neville shot back.

The three students were quiet for a moment before Luna surprisingly spoke up, "How old are you Toshiro?"

"They said something about you being really old," Neville added sullenly.

"I'm one hundred-twenty one." The blonde nodded while the brunette stared, "One- one hundred-twenty one."

Hitsugaya nodded, "Anything else?"

"Do you all have hair and eyes like you have?"

"People talk about the way I look back in my homeland just as people here do."

"Alright then, tell me can you die? Or are you some immortal being or something."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, "I said before that we can die, we can be injured and become ill just as the living do."

"But what happens when _you_ die?"

The taicho sighed, "We have no idea. It's a mystery just as what happens after death is a mystery to the living. The theories vary just as the ones here do. Some believe in reincarnation, while others say there's another after life similar to our own. Some even say there's nothing after we die."

"We're really not that different," Luna observed.

"No, we're not," Toshiro concluded "Are we finished with the interrogation?"

Neville looked troubled, "Well…I'm not sure about all this. But, yeah I know enough."

"Good," The blonde said as he wrapped a scarf around her neck, "It's almost time to head down the pitch. You have very nice timing."

"Pitch," Toshiro asked as he stood.

"The Quidditch match is today."

The Shinigami looked around to see that tension between the Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor tables evident, "Ah yes, it slipped my mind."

"Mine too," Neville muttered

---

The walk down to the pitch was rather quiet except for a small conversation between Hitsugaya and Luna.

The rain was pounding into the earth as thunder rumbled through the sky that was a swirl of black, grey, blue and purple.

Ron and Hermione seemed to want to keep their distance from the white haired boy and Harry had had to go down to the field early seeing as he was on the team. Neville was caught up in his own thoughts but he'd made sure to walk on the other side of Luna.

Excitement was in the air and even the students whose houses weren't playing were atwitter. The Slytherins had aligned themselves with the Hufflepuffs while the Ravenclaws seemed to be rooting for Gryffindor.

The taicho had to admit the pitch was impressive. The field was a manicured green and the stands were decorated in the team colours.

When they took their seats Neville was still on the other side of Luna and Toshiro was beginning to wonder if the boy was trying to ignore him or if he was just caught up in his own little world.

A voice that he recognized from the common room rang through the field and began announcing the team members as the Gryffindors walked onto the pitch. The side of the stands decked in red and gold burst into deafening cheers and the Shinigami couldn't help but wince. According to Pomfrey he wasn't supposed to be around loud noises…well that was all out the window.

The other half of the stadium began cheering as the Hufflepuffs took to the water logged field.

The moment of take off was rather fascinating. To watch all of the team members take to the air simultaneously as their team cloaks billowed was quite a sight. Before Hitsugaya could blink the players were ducking and weaving through the air as the balls flew between them or at unsuspecting team members.

"Its exhilarating to watch isn't it," Luna asked as she pulled off her Ravenclaw scarf and wrapped it around his neck.

"It is," he agreed as he nodded in thanks despite the fact that he didn't need it. They watched as the players continued and Toshiro quickly came to the conclusion that Quidditch was a game that any Eleventh Division member would love.

Eventually the Shinigami let his attention wander and instead held out his hand and watched the water bead on his skin. He could feel the electricity in the air as lightning cracked and thunder boomed and it seemed to be spurring the players on to greater heights and the crowd's excitement only added to the feeling.

It was as if everyone was on a high and it reminded him of the feeling that swept through the ranks before they entered into battle.

The crowd began to cheer loudly as Potter and the other team's seaker faced off and Toshiro followed them with his eyes as best he could through the heavy rain. By now everyone was thoroughly soaked and he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm them.

The thunder was once again crashing, sending tremors through the stands and the rain was pounding and the crowd was cheering, his heart was beating, people were screaming- but something was wrong.

The screams were not of excitement but of pain.

People were dying, the world was ending, blood was splashing his face, and there was the thudding sound of footsteps as more people ran forward into the fray. But the blood wasn't crimson. It was clear as tears and the thudding was the sound of the rain and Luna was shaking him asking him if he was alright, everything was spinning. People were screaming not in pain but fear.

And the thunder was crashing, the lightning cracking and the rain hammering. Harry was falling and the world must _surely _be ending.

He had to save Harry. That thought broke through the mayhem. _He had to save Harry Potter_. Black cloaked figures dotted the sky but he paid them no mind as he took off with a burst of reiatsu focused at his feet.

He felt more then saw his arms wrap around the larger boy as the wind ripped at his clothes.

Harry was falling. He was falling. They were both falling. Falling into the sky…or from it?

They smashed into the blood soaked ground. People were screaming, Harry was moaning and the blood continued to fall from the sky.

It was getting hard to breathe and the sky wasn't bleeding but crying. Everyone was dying, calling out to be saved, pleading with those who spared them a passing glance; people were coming, racing towards him as the sky continued to cry. Everything was going black.

And the world had to be ending.

* * *

So the ending is supposed to be a little confusing and seem a little chaotic. Hitsugaya's mind is having a hard time processing what's happening around him and the memories that the Dementors bring on so everything a little messed up. It's hard to tell what's actually happening, what was going on in the past and what's just a product of his confusion.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Have you guys ever put something in a bit of an odd place and thought, "Yeah, I'll remember that I put it there."? Well I have one of those giant sea shells, the kind that you can apparently hear the waves in if you put your ear to it. Anyway, one of my volumes of Loveless and one of my volumes of the new series that the guy who did the art for Death Note is doing now…damn its something with an R…and Grad…plus there's the symbol for Ohms in the title…But I digress, the covers on both of them were kind of bent, you know how manga do that sometimes which just pisses me off. Ugh. But I put them one on top of the other and then put the shell on top of them so that they'd bend back. So the other day I took the shell off and threw it onto the floor into a pile that consisted of a pair of jeans and my robe thinking "Yeah, I'll remember that I put that there." But I didn't! I didn't remember that I put it there! And oh God did it ever hurt when I stepped on it! I mean damn! I've had a nail through my foot; I've had a pencil through my foot but Goddamn that freaking hurt! Pulling the shard of shell out of my foot? Yeah, that hurt like hell too. I've had to pull pieces of wood from my knee, a round of air nails from my elbow, a pencil from my foot and a fork from my hand not to mention glass from various places over the years, but Jesus Christ it hurt! *groans* Thanks for reading.

ForeverFalling.


	22. Revelations

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! I want to thank everyone who reviewed, they really mean a lot to me. Quick update? Why yes, it is…The way my sleeping patterns are going it feels to me like I updated two days ago but its really only been one. Plus I got this out on like three hours of sleep...maybe I should go to bed early tonight. Its starting to look like I've been punched in both my eyes...

**PS. I won't be updating for about two weeks because I'm going away with my family. **

_

* * *

_

_It was getting hard to breathe and the sky wasn't bleeding but crying. Everyone was dying, calling out to be saved, pleading with those who spared them a passing glance; the people were coming, racing towards him as the sky continued to cry. Everything was going black._

_The world had to be ending._

* * *

Harry slowly came to and he was suddenly aware that he could feel several people's heavy gazes settled on him.

"Harry?"

Green eyes slid open and found the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team along with Ron and Hermione standing over him.

"Harry can you hear me," Hermione asked as she leaned in. The teen nodded as he slowly sat up glancing around to find himself in the hospital wing…yet again, "What the hell happened?"

The team backed off except for the twins and Ron and Hermione quickly took the abandoned seats.

"It was the Dementors mate," the youngest Weasley son started "You should have seen Dumbledore he was bloody pissed."

"We looked over and you were just- "Falling from the sky. Must have been a hundred feet," the twins provided.

"But…how am I— "Still alive," Hermione asked. The teen nodded as he grabbed his glasses from the top of the bedside table.

"It was Toshiro," Fred exclaimed. George nodded, "One minute you're falling and the next he's practically flying out of the stands and grabs you."

"He made it so that he was the one that hit the ground," Hermione finished quietly.

"It was insane," Ron spoke up "And you short of…bounced when you hit the ground. It's lucky the rain had softened it or he probably wouldn't have made it."

"But where is he," Harry asked as he looked around. At his question the team stepped aside to reveal the white haired boy laying on one of the other beds with Luna and Neville at his side.

"Is…is he alright," he asked "I mean why would he do that?!"

Hermione looked down, "He hasn't woken up yet and Madame Pomfrey healed all his injuries…but he hasn't been going too well. Remember what Dumbledore said about him…and the Dementors."

"And there were a ton of them Harry," Ron muttered.

"You should have seen him out on the field," Angelina piped up from within the large group of team members "He was pale as death he was. Hell, I thought he _was_ dead."

The others nodded in agreement while Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged a knowing look.

"What happened with the match," The seeker asked almost afraid to know the answer.

"Well…- "We lost," The twins answered.

"But no one blames you Harry," Hermione assured "The Dementors were never supposed to come onto the school grounds. You should have seen Dumbledore, he was furious."

"Diggery wanted a rematch," Angelina sighed "But Hooch said that he'd gotten the Snitch fair and square." Harry looked downcast at the news for a moment before turning to the twins, "Where's my broom?"

The entire group fell silent as they shared worried looks.

"Where's. My. Broom," He asked again a panic began to flutter in the pit of his stomach.

"Well you see- "When you fell off –"The wind carried your broom away," the twins started. "And blew it right into the Whomping Willow," they finished as George produced his sopping went cloak wrapped around the pieces that had once been Harry's Nimbus.

"Is…there any way to fix it," he asked hopefully as he took the precious bundle from George and set it on his lap.

Hermione looked at him sadly, "I'm sorry Harry, but there's no fixing it. We already tried."

---

As his consciousness slowly began to return Hitsugaya became aware that it felt as if he'd been trampled by a Hollow.

The taicho slowly took stock of the aches that ran throughout his body and easily deduced that most of them were coming from his head and back.

"Toshiro," the familiar voice of Luna Lovegood called to him "Can you hear me?"

"Toshiro," Neville's worried voice asked.

The Shinigami forced his eyes open and winced as the light sent jabs of pain through his head. "Thank God," the other boy sighed as he sat down "You really had me worried."

The blonde nodded her agreement, "Yes, I was beginning to think that I should go looking for a Wagna root in order to wake you." He didn't bother to ask what exactly in God's name a Wagna root was as his tried to remember what had happened to once again land him in the hospital wing.

He was about to ask what had happened when Neville suddenly shouted, "What the hell did you think you were doing?! One minute you're sitting next to me and the next you're jumping off of the bloody stands! I thought you were trying to kill yourself for a moment! Half the school probably thinks your dead!"

Toshiro winced, "If you would be so kind as to lower your voice— "No! No I _will not_ lower my voice," The teen snapped indignantly

"You nearly gave me a heart attack! Of all the _stupid_ things to do, _you_ had to go jumping off of forty foot high stands! Well, how about after this we go up to the Astronomy Tower and _just jump off of it next?!_"

His voice had gradually gotten louder until he was practically shouting and Neville's tone had taken on an almost…hysterical quality.

"What fun that'll be! Yes, lets all join Toshiro in his love of jumping off of high structures!"

"I'd hardly say I love it," the taicho supplied as he slowly sat up frowning as he did.

Neville growled as Potter came limping over with Ron and Hermione in tow, "Toshiro, I need to talk to you."

"Ah, speaking to me and not just _about_ me for once Potter? My, what a surprise," Hitsugaya glared as he wiped some of the dirt from his arms off on the bed sheets.

"Why the hell did you do that? Like Neville said it was insane!"

Toshiro pinched the bridge of his nose, "At the moment today's events are rather hazy so if someone would be so kind as to explain what exactly I did that would warrant this barrage of complaints it would be much appreciated. Other then my jumping from the stands."

Everyone stilled for a moment before Ron nodded, "Uh…yeah mate. You jumped off the bloody stands to catch Harry after he fell off his broom because of the Dementors…well maybe not catch I guess," He frowned "But you made it so that you were the one that smashed into the ground."

When the taicho tried to recall what the redhead had just told him it only resulted in his headache worsening. He remembered…the sky. And clear blood, tears— no it was rain? And he'd been falling and people had been screaming.

"So," he began "The Dementors were the cause of everything." Luna nodded as she sat down at the foot of his bed, "Oh yes. You seemed quite ill when they appeared. You were saying something about blood and then you just…jumped."

"What the hell did you think you were doing," Harry growled.

"I would think you'd already know Potter."

Silence followed his comment and it became even more apparent that four out of the five people around him were clearly uncomfortable.

"You…were told to protect the students," Hermione started cautiously. "So…you were doing your job?" Toshiro nodded.

"By the way Hitsugaya," Potter began "Neville…he told you we know right?" The Shinigami sighed, "I am well aware. But next time I would suggest you come to me with your suspicions rather then forcing them on others."

"Well," Ron stuttered "We-we need an explanation."

"And what makes you think you deserve one?"

"Toshiro just tell them please," Neville blurted out as he ran a hand through his brown waves.

"There's nothing to tell," He informed the group "You already know about as much as I'd ever tell you so there's really no point."

"So-so you're really what he says you are," Hermione uttered. "You're really…dead."

The taicho nodded as the trio paled.

"W-well," Harry spluttered as he unconsciously took a step back as did the other two "The bit about why you came here. Was he right?"

"He's got it wrong," Neville protested "Toshiro's just here to observe and even protect us all!"

"From what," Ron asked and it was clear that his hand was grasping the handle of his wand in between the folds of his robes.

"Actually," the other came up short "He-he never told me."

"Well there! How are we supposed to know Dumbledore's not right? That he's not really here to kill us all! The whole blackmailing thing is going a little far but if he's actually dangerous then maybe Dumbledore's got a point!"

"If I wanted to kill you all, you'd already be long dead," Hitsugaya restated. "The only thing you need to know is that I have no intention of harming anyone and at the moment I'm in charge of all of your safety so it would be wonderful if you would all stop pestering me!"

"Pestering," Hermione said indignantly "We're hardly pestering you considering we're just concerned for the school's safety!"

"So you're saying you don't trust your headmaster as much as you pretend to," The white haired boy shot back. "I saved Potter; I would think that would be enough to dissuade this theory you have about me being some monster from the underworld!"

"Toshiro just tell them everything you told me," Neville insisted. The boy glared, "I don't need to justify myself to a bunch of children like them!"

"Children," Harry yelled "We've seen and done more then you ever will!"

"Oh I'm so sure," Hitsugaya snapped "For once, maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass and realized that Dumbledore is _human_ and humans make mistakes, then _maybe_ you'd see that I'm not the villain in this situation! He's not some all knowing, all seeing God of a man who can do no wrong. He's hardly perfect and maybe if you saw that then you'd be better off. Otherwise you're just going to be a naïve child for the rest of your life!"

Potter pulled his wand from within in Quidditch robes as he snarled, "Dumbledore is a greater man than you'll ever be."

Toshiro glared back as slid his legs over the side of the bed, "You're blinded by your faith in him. Maybe for once you should try and see the world for what it is rather then what he _tells you_ it is."

"Both of you stop," Hermione protested as she stood in between the two, "Harry put the wand away, Toshiro you," she glanced back at him noticing his lack of a wand, "You just sit back down; you shouldn't be up yet. This is all just one misunderstanding."

Harry went to protest but she cut him off, "I'm not saying trust him. I'm not saying that Dumbledore is wrong, but Toshiro has a point; the headmaster is only human. He can't know everything." She looked back to Toshiro, "Like I said, I might not trust you, but we need to talk this out before things get out of hand."

"As if they haven't already," Ron muttered as sunk down onto a near by bed. The bushy haired girl sighed as Harry put away his wand, if reluctantly and Toshiro sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"You see," she approved "This can all be done, rationally and peacefully." The rest of the group grumbled.

"Toshiro," Luna murmured, ever the calm one "Maybe, it would be best if you told them." When he remained silent Neville stepped im, "Dumbledore was right about the whole dead thing. But he's not here to hurt us so we don't need to be scared."

"Don't need to be scared," Ron exclaimed "Neville are you listening to yourself?! He's dead! Dead people aren't supposed to be walking around."

"We have ghosts in the castle don't we," Luna asked as she played with the hem of her shirt. "Well yeah but— "See it's not all that different," Neville expressed.

"Yes it is!"

"How?" The redhead fell silent at that.

Hermione seemed to be operating on a completely different page then her friends, "Where do you normally stay?" Toshiro sighed, "I have a home."

"But _where_?"

"In my homeland." She frowned, "You mean Japan?" He shook his head, "After my death I moved on like everyone else." The three friends stilled.

"Y-you mean there's a Heaven," Harry asked amazedly.

"You could call it that I suppose."

Ron's eyes had gone wide and Hermione had slid to the floor while Potter looked rather dazed, "What's... what's it like?"

The taicho rolled his eyes, "You all have a bit of a one track mind when it comes to this…It's not much different from the living world really. Like I told Neville the only real difference is that we're united under a common language."

"Are you're an angel or something," Ron asked disbelievingly as he eyed the dead boy.

"You mean a messenger of God?" Everyone nodded. "Those are simply fiction. There is no God."

Hermione seemed to choke for a minute while everyone else looked astounded, "How can there be a Heaven if there's no God?!" The Shinigami shrugged, "We have a leader, and there's a King…I suppose he could be 'God' if you chose to call him that."

"What about Hell," Neville spoke up. Hitsugaya considered his question for a moment, "It's called something different, but yes there's a hell. But it's much different then how I've heard many religions portray it. There's no Lucifer, or Satin, or Devil or whatever you choose to call him. And people who have done bad things aren't sent there. For the most part, everyone goes to 'Heaven'."

Harry frowned, "Even people who've done horrible things? Murderers? Rapists? Shouldn't they be punished?"

"They're forgiven. Doesn't everyone have the right to happiness? To be given that chance for redemption," Hitsugaya asked. "But really it's not like everyone is perfect once they're dead. Not everyone is good and not everyone is evil and some are neither. Life is rarely that black and white."

"You said life," Ron pointed out. "You can't say life if you're dead."

Toshiro glared, "I, in a way, am still living. I can still be killed and one day I'll die just as you will and just as I already did once. If that's not 'living' then I don't know what is."

"Dumbledore said you're just a soul," Hermione recalled, "Is that true?"

He nodded, "He's right in that respect. I died and left behind my physical body. What you're seeing now is my soul form."

"So that's why you appeared differently in the image…" The white haired boy frowned, "I'm sorry?" The girl looked sheepish for a moment, "Well…we were suspicious so we looked up the birth records in Japan and found your name. I used a spell that produces an image of the person that bears the name you're reading and it was of you, only with black hair."

"What did the records say," Neville asked curiously.

"Well, that he was born in 1860 and died in 1872 and cause of death was listed as accident." Everyone's gaze slid to the Shinigami, "…What?"

"Its nothing," Hermione assured "Its just odd thinking that you were born so long ago…and died so long ago too I suppose."

"It will be one hundred and twenty-two years this December."

Harry hissed, "Damn…that…that's a long time."

"How'd you die," Ron asked carelessly as he rested his chin in his hand. The entire room fell silent as they all sat-or in some cases stood-in awe of his stupidity.

"That," Toshiro started "Is considered to be one of the most personal, private questions you can ask someone." The Weasley flushed, "Oh…uh sorry mate."

The taicho nodded, "You didn't know. But I unlike most have no qualms with people knowing. In fact quite a few have guessed. I froze to death."

The others fell silent at the admission and several things fell into place.

"So that's why you're never cold and the hair," Harry mumbled.

Hermione slowly clambered to her feet and stood to look Hitsugaya right in the eye, "I'm so sorry."

He stared right back into her brown orbs which shone in the torch light, "For what?"

"It…it must have been a _horrible_ way to die." He nodded, "It was. But it happened a long time ago, there's no point dwelling on the past. It only allows us to lose sight of the present."

"Hey," Ron crowed "If we can see you and you're a soul why the hell hasn't anyone seen guys like you before? It's not like anyone wouldn't notice their dead cousin walking down the street. And ghosts are transparent."

"To put it simply," Toshiro hesitated "The particles of magic that are present in the air are clinging and forming a bond with the soul particles that I'm made of. Because you're all magic users you can see the magic that surrounds me. A non-magic user wouldn't be able to see me."

"What if you're not around a lot of wizards," Neville posed. The taicho frowned, "Then you probably wouldn't be able to see me, maybe just a flicker. I haven't exactly had the chance to study it yet." Everyone nodded.

"You know Toshiro," Hermione started "I-we're very sorry for all this. I'm sure if you just told Dumbledore everything you explained to us, or even told him what you are. I mean, he wouldn't tell anyone if you asked him not to."

Ron and Harry nodded in agreement but he shook his head, "Mission specifics are classified. I don't have the same faith in him that you all do. If he does something to deserve it there's a chance I might explain some things to him. But until then that man shall remain the dark on all of these matters," He finished as he watched them all with narrowed teal eyes. "Meaning, there's to be no repeating any of this."

Harry looked cross for a moment, "So you just want us to lie to him?!" The Shinigami stared, "That's exactly what I want you to do."

Hermione looked worried, "But Professor Dumbledore is very skilled at detecting that sort of!—"WHAT IS ALL THIS RACKET?!"

All five Gryffindors and the single Ravenclaw turned to find a rather aggravated looking Madame Pomfrey, "The time for visiting ended five minutes ago! Out! The lot of you."

"But Madame," Neville went to protest.

"No buts Mr. Longbottom. Dinner starts in five minutes I suggest you all get down there before you miss it."

Everyone nodded and began making their way to the doors before she called out, "Where do you think you're going Mr. Hitsugaya?" Toshiro stopped and looked back, "Dinner?"

"Bed. Now."

"I assure you I'm perfectly fine."

"BED." He sighed before waving goodbye to Neville and Luna and making his way back towards where he'd been laying.

"And Potter!"

Harry stopped short and gave her a withered look. "Take care of yourself and eat some more chocolate at dessert." He nodded and the glasses wearing teen hurried through the doors with the rest of the group at his heels.

The nurse turned to stare at the once again bruised and battered student as he sat waiting on the bed, "Maybe I should just reserve a bed for you." He forced a smile, "Oh that won't be necessary."

She grumbled as she strode towards him and grabbed some chocolate from a near by tray, "Eat this."

The white haired boy grimaced but popped it into his mouth none the less and quickly swallowed. She placed a cold hand on his forehead as she sighed, "You've got a bit of a fever but nothing like last time. Those Dementors certainly do a number on you."

"Hn. I've noticed."

"You had a very close call," she said as she pulled his shirt up to reveal his back and for the first time Toshiro realized he wasn't in his own close but in the standard Hospital Wing pants and shirt. He hissed when she poked along his spine.

"You shouldn't have been moving around. I gave you something for the pain but just because you can't feel it doesn't mean the problem isn't there."

"I apologize." The nurse shifted so that she was in front of him, "I'm tired of seeing you in here. The first few times were easy enough to remedy but broken backs are anything but."

He grimaced, "I hadn't realized…"

She sighed, "Oh I'm sure you didn't. You're a very lucky young man; you could have easily been killed." The white haired transfer nodded, "Thank you for lending me your assistance."

She rolled her eyes as she pulled his shirt down and began fiddling around with several different potions that she'd set on his bedside table, "I'll have you know there are several rumours about you flying around the staff room. None of them good."

He smirked, "Oh really?"

The woman glared back at him, "Yes really. In fact they seem to be spreading around the school faster then a case of Dragon Pox."

"And what might these rumours be," He asked as she pulled his eye lids apart and stared at his pupils.

"They're more or less exactly what Professor McGonagall though before. They all think you're trying to kill yourself. And I don't blame them," She declared "Not with you jumping off of Quidditch stands and practically drowning yourself in the lake. You're in here almost every other day."

"Yes well, I assure you that those rumours are just that, rumours. There's no truth behind them."

She pulled away and passed him a glass full of a disgusting looking almost neon blue liquid. When he made no move to drink it she glared, "Take it. Now. Otherwise you'll be in severe pain all night."

Hitsugaya sighed before downing the potion, almost immediately regretting it as the taste hit him. It had an almost…airy quality to it. It made breathing awkward for a moment as he handed the glass back (1).

"So when will I be able to leave?" She looked at him disapprovingly as cleared away the bottles and glass, "If your fever is gone in the morning you can go to classes. But I want you back in here after dinner so I can check on those bruises."

He nodded, "I think that's agreeable."

"And I want you to bundle up during Care of Magical Creatures. For God's sake we're almost in winter and you're walking around in your uniform and nothing else except a scarf! I want to see a jacket and I'll be telling Professor Hagrid to make sure you have one," She informed him sternly.

Toshiro frowned, "I don't have any of the winter uniform."

The nurse stared, "And just why not?"

"…I didn't feel the need to buy it. I'm quite fond of the cold."

"Well you can't borrow anyone else's seeing as they'll be needing it," she grumbled. "But I'm sure Hagrid would have something lying around that you could borrow."

Hitsugaya quirked an eyebrow, "The man is the size of— "No complaining," she snapped as she strode away, "Go to sleep."

With a wave of her wand the torches went out and Toshiro was left sitting in the dark with his protests about it being far too early still on the tip of his tongue.

"Annoying woman."

* * *

1. If you've ever had liqueur when you drink it or even if you've had the type of chocolates that's filled with them it's kind of…aromatic? The taste feels like it floods your lungs and it's like your breath has been just taken away.

* * *

Dear Readers,

I had a reviewer ask me if I was a girl…It was a little odd. I answered of course, because where's the point in not? It was very random though. For those who haven't read my profile or figured it out through the author's notes or just the way I write: Yes, I am indeed a girl. I thought it was rather obvious…*laughs* But oh well, I had a nice laugh. If you can't tell, I have a good sense of humour…a lot of people just don't get my humour though. It can be very dry or very sarcastic so sometimes people have a hard time knowing if I'm joking or not. But that's the way my dad is and his dad was like that too. I guess apparently over in Denmark that's just how people joke around. Its funny watching my friends interact with my dad before they get to know him because if they think I'm bad, he's twenty times worse. My brother just acts like an idiot and my mum…she's witty I suppose. But there's not a day that goes by where we're all not laughing at something. Thanks for reading.

ForeverFalling.


	23. A Thousand Ways to Say

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. So uh…I lied about not updating for two weeks…it turns out there was time for another chapter before I leave this Sunday…so…uh…yeah.

OVER 700 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE JUST…_amazing_.

SO NOW, there won't be any updates until I get back.

**** This is a bit of a filler chapter. There's going to be a time skip to mid-December next chapter and I didn't want it to feel rushed plus it was a good way to show how they'd be interacting from now on****

* * *

_With a wave of her wand the torches went out and Toshiro was left sitting in the dark with his protests about it being far too early still on the tip of his tongue. _

"_Annoying woman."_

_

* * *

_

Toshiro finally managed to escape the clutches of Madame Pomfrey, grab a fresh uniform and still make it down to the Great Hall in time for breakfast.

As he made his way down the Ravenclaw table to where Luna and Neville were sitting many heads turned to stare in his direction. The taicho ignored them along with the resulting whispers as he sat down beside Luna and pulled a pitcher of water over to himself.

"So she let you out," Neville said looking up from his French toast. Hitsugaya gulped down his drink before nodding, "It took a bit of convincing but she agreed in the end. You wouldn't happen to know of someone with an extra winter cloak would you?"

The teen frowned, "What do you need a cloak for?"

"Part of our deal."

He shook his head, "I don't think anyone would have one." The Shinigami grumbled, "I was told as much…but I might a coat packed away in my trunk."

"I doubt it."

Toshiro growled unhappily as he grabbed a piece of toast and began to spread some jam onto it, "This is ridiculous." Neville nodded sympathetically. "Luna you wouldn't happen to have anything extra would you?"

The blonde thought for a moment before shaking her head, "No, I'm afraid I don't."

The taicho turned to the Head Table to spot Madame Pomfrey speaking with Hagrid and he couldn't help but feel a wave of annoyance flood over him. A set of pale, slim fingers drummed the table as he continued to glare letting the entire hall know just how he felt that morning.

"It won't be _that_ bad," The other Gryffindor noted as he peeled a banana. Hitsugaya glared, "I don't do well in heat."

"Well it's not like its hot out, it must be minus fifteen and Care of Magical Creatures is first this morning so it's not going to warm up much." The white haired boy was reluctant to admit that his friend had a point and instead took a vicious bite out of his toast.

"At least its Friday," He muttered as he brushed some crumbs from his vest.

"I suppose," Neville sighed "But that also means double Divination."

The dead boy glared, "_Thank you_ Neville for pointing that out."

"Any time," the other smirked.

---

They made the trek down to the edge of the forest along with the rest of the students and Luna had come with them only to stop at the greenhouses for Herbology. It seemed to Toshiro that everyone had decided it would be a lovely day to stare at him.

It wasn't necessarily the suspicious gazes he'd grown used to as it seemed some of them seemed to stare at him with looks of sheer awe.

"Everyone thinks you're amazing," Neville chuckled.

"Oh really? And here I heard that they thought I was suicidal," Hitsugaya drawled as he shot a glare at a dark skinned Slytherin who had been staring for a tad too long.

"Well there's that too," the other agreed "But a lot of people thought it was pretty amazing how you jumped out of the stands like that to save Harry and are still alive."

"Hn. Well if that's what it takes to gain their approval I'll make sure to jump off of the next tall structure I meet should the opportunity arise."

"Oi! Toshiro!" Said boy turned to find Hagrid waving to him from in front of his house jacket in hand.

"There's no way that's going to fit you," Neville pointed out as they made their way over.

"Clearly."

The half giant smiled as they neared, "Madame Pomfrey mentioned you needin' a coat. Couldn't say no to helpin' out a student now could I?"

The Shinigami tried to force a smile but from the look on Neville's face he knew he'd failed miserably, "Of course you couldn't."

The Professor quickly set it on his shoulders and watched rather amused as the boy pushed his arms into the sleeves only to have them barely reach the elbows of the jacket, "I suppose we could roll 'em up at bit…"

Toshiro huffed as he tried to free his hands from the confines of the fabric and became agitated as he continued to struggle, "This is absolutely ridiculous."

Hagrid laughed as he hunched down and began to help his frustrated student, "Don't worry we'll fix ya right up."

In the end although the sleeves had been rolled the taicho was still swimming in the coat to a point where it was rather comical looking. A fact which Neville didn't fail to point out nor several of the Slytherins.

Hitsugaya glared at Ron as the redhead laughed at him, "Mate that coat's about twenty sizes too big!"

"I'm well aware," he growled back as he turned his attention once again to the teacher who was going on about a type of pixie like creature that lived under the leaves on the forest floor.

Hermione smiled kindly, "How are you feeling today?" He shrugged although truth be told even that sent pulses of pain through the bruises along his spine. It seemed that even with Madame Pomfrey's potions and spells that it was going to take quite a while for him to be completely healed.

It wasn't all together that surprising he supposed.

Even back in Soul Society he would have been out of commission for quite a while. He'd be told by the stern nurse to take it easy and not lift any heavy objects or partake in any strenuous activities. Carrying Hyorinmaru along his back seemed out of the question for a while.

He'd taken to storing the Zanpakuto in his trunk at the foot of his bed. Not the most hidden away of places but considering the circumstances it was the best he could do short of once again hiding it in a suit of armour again, and they had a tendency to no be where you left them.

Yet another reason to detest the wizarding world.

Eventually instead of paying attention to the lesson the taicho began exploring the many pockets that existed in the coat he'd been given. So far he'd found some questionable eggs, three bars of chocolate, some beef jerky-_beef_-and a large number of keys.

"Toshiro"

The Shinigami looked up to find Hagrid walking over with the little pixie the lesson had been about in hand, "Would you like to hold him?"

The pixie suddenly hissed when its golden eyes fell upon the boy in front of it but Toshiro just levelled it with a glare. The Professor looked taken back for a moment, "I didn't these little guys _could_ hiss."

"I don't have much luck with animals it seems."

"I guess even it knows that you're a freak," came the snide voice of Draco Malfoy from a few feet away. The white haired youth ignored the comment much to the blonde's annoyance but truthfully he couldn't help but wonder if maybe the Slytherin had a point.

Surprisingly though for the most part Malfoy left him alone especially when compared to how he terrorized Potter whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Hagrid had gone back to the lesson while most of the students were chatting instead of actually paying attention.

"When's the next trip into the village," The Shinigami asked as he unzipped his borrowed coat and once again rolled up the sleeves so he could actually see his hands.

Neville frowned as he thought, "Uh…not until December eighteenth. Why?" Hitsugaya shrugged, "No reason."

His friend looked sceptical for a moment before sighing. He'd realized that if Toshiro didn't feel like telling you something, you weren't going to get it out of him until he damn well ready to tell you.

"The Dementors guard the school gates?"

"Yeah, to stop Black from getting in. I figured you'd know more about school security then any of us would."

"Dumbledore seems to think it better I don't know. That or he just doesn't think it worth the trouble of telling me," the white haired boy grumbled as he once again began to fix sleeves that just didn't want to stay rolled.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," The taller assured as the boy finally gave up and let the sleeves unroll so that they were _well_ past his fingers. "Are you going home for the holidays?"

Toshiro frowned, "I'm…not sure. On one hand I think Dumbledore wouldn't mind my leaving seeing as it solves most of his problems concerning me but on the other he'd lose his guard. But it I was I doubt I'd be sent back. I' d have to complete my mission another way."

"If you want to leave why don't you just walk out the gates," Neville asked sounding slightly put out.

"There are wards surrounding the grounds. I could most likely break them but it would alert the Dementors almost instantly. I'm either going to have to increase my tolerance of them or find away to conceal myself completely so they won't notice me otherwise the moment I show up they'll come running."

"Gliding," the other corrected absentmindedly.

"Hn."

Part of his mission was to protect that living inhabiting the area from the Dementors and yet it seemed as if he'd be the one really needing protection against them. Building up a tolerance would be a hassle but he recalled reading in his folder that there was a spell that would scare them off, if temporarily. The thought suddenly struck him that he had no idea where he'd placed his wand…well that wasn't good. The taicho went through his robes and found it wasn't there.

In fact the last he'd seen it was the day before last in Charms, "Neville have you seen my wand?"

The brown haired teen stared at him incredulously, "You mean you actually don't know?!" Hitsugaya nodded. "You're always supposed to keep your wand on you!"

"It's just a piece of wood to me. I wasn't brought up to rely on it like you were."

The taller sighed, "I guess. Weren't you teasing Ran with it the other day?"

The taicho vaguely recalled that incident, "I believe so…but what did I do with it afterwards…Hn. This could be rather troublesome."

Ron who had at some point come to stand near them snorted, "Rather troublesome he says. You need to find it or McGonagall will have a fit."

"Maybe I left it in the common room…"

"Did I hear you've lost your wand," Hermione asked as she walked over. Ron laughed, "You sure did."

"You're never supposed to leave your wand lying around!"

Toshiro sighed, "So I've heard. I don't remember having it after entertaining Ran with it though."

"Maybe he carried it off," Neville suggested.

"That _is_ a possibility."

"Well we can look during lunch if you want."

The Shinigami nodded but truthfully he didn't care all that much about what happened to his wand. Hyorinmaru was all he'd ever need. The only real problem was that almost all of the courses required him to have a wand. Then again…it wasn't like he really had to do the course work seeing as he wasn't going to be continuing after this year. It was only his damnable pride that kept him doing his work and excelling in all of his classes.

Harry soon came storming up with an aura of rage, "That Malfoy is such a git!"

"So I've gathered," Hitsugaya responded shortly as he once again searched through his robes for the bothersome stick. The green eyed teen continued on in his rant unaware of Neville and Toshiro's muttered efforts to try and recall where the white haired boy's wand could have disappeared off to.

When the school bell rang throughout the grounds the taicho practically threw off the heavy winter coat and hurriedly strode over to Hagrid, "Thank you very much Professor."

The half giant blushed at the title as he took the coat with a nod of thanks, "I'm glad I could help, though you look a little peaky. Sure yer' alright?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, I just over heat rather easily."

The man grinned, "Ah, yer' from someplace cold I expect?"

"Yes, I've been living in Northern Russia for the past few years. I'm afraid adjusting is proving to be rather difficult."

The large teacher sighed, "Yeah, it can be hard. But you feelin' alright? I mean after yesterday…" Hitsugaya tried to pull of a sheepish laugh, "Yes well, I suppose I gave quite a few people a bit of a scare. But I'm fine now, just some bruises."

The man looked unsure, "I heard from Professor McGonagall that ya broke yer' back."

He nodded, "Yes, but like I said I only have some bruises now."

Hagrid sighed, "Well make sure ya take care a' yer'self. Yer' so small, ya gotta' be careful or yer' gunna' wind up really hurt."

Toshiro tried not to glare, "I'll make sure to do just that Professor, but I'd better get going or I'll be late for Divination."

The man laughed, "Well we can't have that now can we? Get goin'!"

Hitsugaya jogged over to catch up with Neville and grabbed his text book from his friend's arms.

"What did he want," The taller asked as they made their way back to the castle.

"Just telling me to be more careful."

"Well you should listen. I bet McGonagall is going to have a talk with you later in Transfiguration." The taicho shrugged, "I doubt it. As far as she knows I can't be killed. In her mind I was in no danger."

Neville looked sceptical, "Don't underestimate her. She might think you're some kind of…_thing_ but that doesn't mean she wouldn't care if you got hurt. You're still one of her students."

The Shinigami thought back to the night of his questioning and how she'd stood up for him, "You may have a point."

---

Double Divinations was nothing short of torture.

It was inhumane really.

The room was humid and muggy despite the cold that leeched through the stone walls. The fire was burning in the hearth and the incents continued to weigh down the air as the students sat crowded around their small tables once again gazing into their crystal balls.

"Do you want to take a look," Neville asked as he finally pushed the smooth crystal orb away from himself. Hitsugaya gave the ball one glance before leaning back against the wall and letting his tired eyes slip shut.

It was never easy for him to sleep in a room that smelled of antiseptic and all together the lingering stench of sick.

They'd been assigned a project that consisted of gazing into their crystal balls and writing down all that they saw. On the taicho's paper it simply read different forms of the same word: fog, smoke, vapour, clouds and it continued like that for the entire table he'd had to draw out.

Divination was the one class that he let himself relax in. While he might not use what he learned in the other courses ever again at least he was still actually _learning_ something.

Divination consisted of, 'gaze into the crystal ball/tea leaves/palm of your partner and behold!' Well all he 'beheld' was smoke, fog, vapour, clouds and so on.

On other days he'd written down: wet foliage, damp leaves, contours of skin, grooves in flesh…really if the course continued in such a manner he was going to run out of ways to rephrase things. There were only so many ways you could say smoke and he was running through them rather quickly. Maybe if he invested in a thesaurus he could buy himself some more time…

"Mr. Hitsugaya, are you even listening to me?!"

He opened his eyes to find a red faced Trelawney staring down at him, "I'm sorry Professor I was lost in thought for a moment."

She glared before sighing, "Yes well, you don't seem to be participating in today's lesson."

"I've completed today's assignment already Professor."

The woman gave him a disbelieving look before she snatched up his paper and read through the boxes all filled with singular words, "But- but all you've done is rewrite the same thing over!"

He took the paper from her boney grip, "I think you'll find that nothing is repeated." She went from red, to redder, "But they're all Synonyms!"

"Your point?"

The bug resembling Professor spluttered for a moment before getting up and simply walking away as she continued to mutter to herself. Neville took the paper from his friend, "She's right," he said after a moment "All you did was rewrite the same thing a different way!"

He continued to glance down the list before grabbing some of the parchment from the day before, "…I didn't know there were _so many_ ways to say wet leaves."

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

---

When Divination finally ended Toshiro along with Neville and Potter with his band of merry fools made their way back to the common room. Transfiguration would be after lunch right before Charms so a wand would be mandatory for the rest of the day.

"Can you think of where it could be," Hermione asked as she rummaged through the couch cushions.

"Where does Ran normally hide things," Ron asked as he looked under a chair.

"I don't know," Toshiro replied annoyed as checked various drawers in some of the furniture. "Really, am I supposed to know where a cat would put something?"

"Well its not here," Harry called from the other side of the room as he slammed shut a trunk students sometimes used to store out of season cloaks in. "Could it be up in the dormitory? I mean, he sleeps there with you doesn't he?"

"Where is that cat anyway," Ron asked with a huff as he stood. Toshiro hummed, "Last time I saw him…was the day before last."

The four turned to gape.

"And you haven't fed him since then," Hermione asked horrified.

"I'm sure he managed. He's devious and rather cunning…for a cat that is."

"Can we just hurry this up," the redhead groaned "I'm starving here!"

Harry bounded up the stairs and the other four sat down to wait none of them having any intention of going to help. A few moments later there was a call from up in the room, "Found it!"

The glasses wearing teen ran down the stairs with the silvery blue handled wand wrapped in a face cloth. He gingerly handed to the white haired boy making sure to keep it wrapped up, "It was under your pillow…along with several dead mice and a bird."

They all stared down at the wand which had several clear bit marks dented into the wood along with what looked to be a bit of dried blood and slobber.

Harry grimaced, "I'd wash it."

Ron thumped the Shinigami on the back, "That's one cat you got there mate."

Hitsugaya made an odd sound in the back of his throat for a moment and Hermione looked at him concerned, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he hissed "Just trying not to punch that idiot for touching my back."

Ron paled, "Oh...right."

"_Yes_, Toshiro growled, "Right."

The youngest Weasley son laughed nervously for a moment, "Uh…sorry?"

The Transfer glared as he placed the defiled wand in his robes and straightened his back, ignoring the shooting pains.

"How bad is the bruising anyway," Harry asked curiously as he led the group to and through the portrait hole.

"Not bad."

Neville grimaced, "Coming from you that must mean it's terrible." Hitsugaya sent him a glared, "They'll be healed soon enough."

"Yes, but if Madame Pomfrey couldn't heal them right away they're probably quite severe," Hermione noted. "Are they painful?"

"Not unless there's pressure on them or I move certain ways. She gave me something for the pain this morning before I left."

"You've really got to be more careful," the curly haired girl sighed as they entered into the Great Hall.

They broke apart as Neville and Toshiro headed down to the Ravenclaw table to where they could see Luna sitting and the others went to the Gryffindor table.

---

Hermione sighed as she set aside her sandwich, "It's a bit odd talking with him now that I know what he is."

Ron nodded before swallowing, "Yeah well, its better then not knowing. Plus, I guess he's not all that bad. Neville likes him."

"Harry did you ever properly thank him for what he did yesterday?" The Boy Who Lived frowned for a moment, "Uh…I guess not. I'll talk to him tonight."

"You'd better; you owe your life to him!"

He nodded, "You've got a point."

The girl tapped her fingers against the table feeling rather restless, "Do you think we should tell Dumbledore what we know?"

Ron thought for a moment, "We promised we wouldn't and he'll probably figure it out on his own eventually. All we have to do is act surprised when he tells us…well if he tells us I guess."

Harry nodded, "I'm not going to go back on my word. As long as Hitsugaya's not here to hurt anyone and he's in check I don't see why we would need to tell the Headmaster."

She hummed in agreement, "He was pretty badly hurt wasn't he." The other two nodded. "I must admit while I was worried I was sort of…curious to see what happened. If he could actually be killed I mean," she added.

"He seems pretty much normal," Harry muttered as he picked a questionable looking hair from his chicken "Those bruises look normal enough."

She frowned, "You've seen them?"

Surprisingly Ron was the one who answered, "Oh hell yeah. He had his robe off for part of Divination remember? And when he went to go get his crystal ball you could see em' through the white of his shirt they're so dark! Must be bloody painful."

"Didn't he say something to Neville earlier about having to go see Pomfrey later for her to look at them again," Harry asked as he determined that the hair was most definitely _not_ his.

Ron nodded as he scooped more macaroni onto his plate, "Yeah, he's supposed to head over after dinner I think."

"Poor guy," The glasses wearing teen said absentmindedly. If it wasn't his then who the hell did it come from? But a better question: should he still eat the chicken?

"Ron, pass me some of that—

He was cut off by the school bell ringing signalling the end of lunch and the food along with all the dirty dishes and cutlery vanished. His best friend looked up as he gathered his books from their place on the bench beside him, "Did you say something?"

Harry sighed, "No."

"Neville, Toshiro," Hermione called catching the attention of the two "Lets all head to Transfiguration together!"

Neville asked Hitsugaya something and when the white haired boy shrugged they both walked over to meet them and they began making their way to class.

"Did you wash your wand," The brown haired girl asked.

"Yes, but the bite marks are there to stay."

"You could probably buff them out if you wanted," she suggested as they climbed the stairs.

"Hey Toshiro, did you finish the essay," Neville asked as he pulled out his own. The taicho turned away from the girl, "I finished it a few days ago, and most of the information was right in the text so it was simple enough."

Ron blanched, "Essay?! What essay?!"

Hermione huffed, "Oh really Ronald. You need to pay more attention! Harry finished his. Didn't you Harry?"

Said boy laughed nervously, "Well about that…"

* * *

1. I thought I'd put a bit more effort into his accent. Oh, the red lines! *growls*

* * *

Dear Readers,

Okay, my week was made today when I got up and went online to check the site I always use to watch my anime on (they update everyday, they're great) and that's when I saw it…The Kakashi Gaiden! It was amazing! Finally getting to hear Obito and Rin's voices not to mention Minato! It was great to actually get that up close look at his face and watch him move! Anyway it's a two part bit (both are out subbed) but God I wish it was longer…and I found the animation to be really well done. There are some episodes in Shippuuden that just look amazing and others are still great but they don't _pop_. That one episode where Naruto and Jiraiya are training and then Naruto falls asleep leaning against him that one popped to me. But the last month of episodes have just been amazing. They've been all Sasuke! I do love him and it's nice to finally see him really in action again. I kind of forgot he actually had a bit of a sense of humour however subtle and after a while of not seeing him he began to seen a bit …2D but after the last few episodes I remember why he's one of my favourites! The dub of Shippuuden should be coming out really soon. Well in the States at least because I've seen the trailers but Lord knows Canada won't see it for like two years. We're SO behind its insane. Same with all our anime…seriously Bleach is still in the beginning of the Bount arch. That's why I watch everything online now. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	24. Spiders A' Plenty

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. Well I'm back! Thanks to all those who reviewed, they really do make my day. Ugh. So tired! I went to bed at five last night and for some reason woke up at nine. Then my mum dragged me around for back to school shopping. *yawns*

* * *

_Hermione huffed, "Oh really Ronald. You need to pay more attention! Harry finished his. Didn't you Harry?" _

_Said boy laughed nervously, "Well about that…" _

* * *

Time skips ahoy

* * *

Toshiro grumbled as he fastened the claps on his new winter cloak.

"It's not _that_ bad," Neville pointed out as they headed down to Care of Magical Creatures.

Hitsugaya's visits to Madame Pomfrey had become a nightly event while she had monitored the healing of the bruises along his spine. As they had slipped into December and his bruises had long healed the nurse still insisted on seeing him once a week.

Rumours had swept through the school that he was receiving counselling or that he had a chronic illness. In actuality they would just sit down and chat over tea.

On one such occasion the subject of his winter wardrobe –or lack there of-had come up. Seeing as he had no uniform suited for the 'chilly' weather the forceful woman had seen fit to take his measurements and send away for some.

The taller boy clearly tried to hold in his laughter when he spotted what had come with the cloak that he'd been handed that morning during breakfast. Toshiro was glaring down at the pair of pale blue gloves and ear muffs that he held in his hands as if he could make them disappear by sheer force of will— though if anyone could do it, surely it would be him.

Neville picked up one of the gloves and examined it before glancing at the Shinigami, "You sure have awfully small hands." Hitsugaya shot him an icy glare. "W-well I'm sure they'll get bigger eventually," he spluttered. "I mean once you grow— Not that you need to…I should give up."

"Yes," the taicho hissed "because no matter how _small _my hands may be, they're still large enough to strangle you with."

Neville nodded palely as he dropped the –tiny- glove back into the white haired boy's out stretched hand.

"Luna might like these ear covers," Toshiro muttered as he stared at them uninterestedly.

"They're called ear muffs," The taller corrected.

"Muffs? Who on earth would possibly call an article of clothing something so ridiculous?"

"Well they muffle the sounds when you're…never mind."

The taicho stuffed the ear muffs-ridiculous-into his robes and with a glance at the sky the two went and joined the group of students congregated around Hagrid and his newest creature.

---

Harry sighed as he watched Ron scarf down his dinner dangerously fast. The next day-Saturday- was the season's trip into the village. Last time hadn't been nearly as bad as he'd predicted seeing as he'd spent most of the day with Toshiro but relations between them and the white haired transfer were still rather…awkward.

They didn't argue or anything close to it -most of the time- but there was a stiffness now that hadn't been there before.

The teen had to wonder if it was really just him imaging things because Toshiro either didn't notice, felt completely different about the situation, or simply felt that things were fine the way they were.

"I'm sure you two will be fine," Hermione assured as if reading his thoughts.

"You did fine last time, didn't you," Ron asked. **(1) **

Harry shrugged, "Yeah I guess. Still, I wish I could go."

The redhead gave him a sympathetic look, "Maybe next year mate, and we'll make sure to bring you something back."

"Is Neville going into the village? …But even if he is I would think Toshiro would be spending his day with Luna," Hermione muttered as she pushed around her potatoes.

"I don't know; he just does as he pleases," the green eyed teen sighed "Sometimes I think he just does everything on a whim."

* * *

It was finally the day of the trip into Hogsmead and Toshiro was in a surprisingly good mood.

The evening before the temperature had dropped dramatically and it had begun to snow, covering the grounds in a layer of white. Many people had been gossiping about how they'd seen the supposedly chronically ill transfer student standing out in the cold for hours after classes had finished, but Hitsugaya couldn't bring himself to care.

His mood had soared as the flakes of snow had fallen from the cold grey sky and the cold winter wind lashed at his face. The only problem he seemed to be having was that his charge had magically disappeared in the span of fifteen minutes.

While he didn't necessarily _try_ to do his assigned task from Dumbledore that didn't mean he thought it was alright to completely lose track of the boy he was supposed to be watching when no one else was around him.

But no matter where he looked he couldn't spot Potter anywhere. He'd bid Neville a good trip and waved goodbye to Ron and Hermione and yet the glasses wearing teen was no where to be seen.

The taicho made his way out into the court yard ignoring the odd looks from the other students as he stood outside in nothing but jeans and a grey V-neck (He'd actually found a coat in his trunk but he couldn't imagine actually _wearing_ it).

Teal eyes scanned the area carefully looking for the tell tale messy black hair when they fell upon a most peculiar site.

It seemed as if footprints were appearing in the snow leading towards the castle gates...but no one was there. The taicho focused for a moment and although it was faint he could sense a soul where the foot prints were appearing.

He frowned for a moment and began making his way towards the invisible body wondering vaguely if Black had been able to sneak onto the grounds by using such a method.

The Shinigami glanced around; there were far too many people in the area if it was indeed Black and Hyorinmaru was still back in his trunk because of McGonagall's complaints to the headmaster.

Two flashes of red caught his eye, quickly pulling him from his thoughts and planning as he turned to find the Weasley twins bounding up happily towards him.

"Why hello my good chap," Fred –it could have been George, but hell if he really cared enough to attempt to tell them apart- greeted with a small bow.

"Lovely day isn't it," George asked as he gestured towards the sky.

"Why yes the weather is quite pleasant today," Toshiro agreed as he turned back to watch the footprints that seemed to have stopped appearing for the moment. If he could just ditch the— he stopped and glanced up at the teens, "…Do you two know anything about becoming invisible?"

Fred frowned as he thought for a moment, "As much as the next bloke I would think. Why do you ask?"

"Hn. No particular reason."

The twins followed his narrowed gaze and shared a meaningful look before following after the footprints that had picked up again.

Hitsugaya went to call after them but stopped when he realized that they seemed to have some idea as to what was going on which he clearly _did not_.

Moving faster then the eye could see? Well that was normal; all it took was a shunpo. But whatever was making the footprints was moving at a perfectly average speed. He'd heard of disillusionment charms in class…or something along those lines, but they weren't supposed to hide you completely which seemed to be the case.

The twins both grasped seemingly empty air and began dragging whoever they'd grabbed a hold of towards a more secluded area where they wouldn't be seen by curious eyes.

Toshiro stared after them before he huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he followed after them, "For once I'd like to have a normal, calm, peaceful day."

Fred turned back to smile at him, careful to keep a firm grip on his invisible captive, "Sorry mate but I have to say you're about as far from normal as a guy can get. But don't fret being normal is boring. We don't like boring."

George nodded in agreement as they ducked into an empty stairwell that led to where the owls were housed. The redhead –he had no idea who- grabbed at seemingly nothing and suddenly none other then a very angry looking Harry Potter came into the taicho's view.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Fred looked at the furious teen in mock hurt, "Now Harry, is that really the way to talk to the blokes who're going to make your day?"

"Maybe your week," George nodded.

"No, your year!"

"Probably your life!"

Hitsugaya coughed, "Can you please just get to the point?"

Truthfully he was extremely curious as to how exactly Potter had become invisible to the eye. To think a mere thirteen year old had such a skill at his disposal. He glanced at the fabric— a cloak he realized, that was pooling on the steps on which Harry was standing. A cloak that could make you invisible…_interesting_. He crouched down and carefully ran his fingers over the smooth, almost velvety material watching as it flitted in and out of view.

George frowned, "We're just trying to build the suspense!"

"Well you're going to stop," he snapped as he stood.

The twins looked put out for a moment before they nodded, "Fine."

"Anyway," Fred said as he pulled a large folded piece of parchment from his pocket, "What we're about to show you has helped us in our...endeavours for years."

Harry looked curious, "Well what is it?"

"We're getting there!"

"Anyway, as I was trying to say, we've decided its time to pass on this little jem. Share the wealth as they say."

Toshiro felt the familiar buzzing sensation of magic emanating from the parchment.

"...What is it," he asked as he took a step closer.

Fred smiled, "All in good time. We spotted this in one of Filch's drawers while we were in detention back in first year."

Toshiro frowned disbelievingly, "Spotted in a drawer?" He glared for a moment as he would at a misbehaving subordinate and the two redheads quickly gave up, clearly not at all upset about revealing yet another one of their misadventures.

"All right we found it after we picked the lock on his drawer."

The taicho nodded; that sounded about right.

"Well what does it do," Harry asked rather impatiently as he brushed the snow from his hair.

George grinned as he pulled his wand from his coat pocket and tapped the paper, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The glasses wearing teen looked confused, "What?"

But Toshiro was watching the paper, fascinated. Neat scrawl began to appear across the page like the ink leaching into it.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present the Marauders Ma__p._

The twins smiled as they further unfolded the map revealing a detailed drawing of Hogwarts and the school grounds. Dots littered the page, each followed by a banner bearing the name of a person.

"Wow," Harry breathed as he took the map from his fellow Gryffindors. "This is amazing."

The two nodded, "It shows where everyone is at every moment— "In anyplace— "At every minute— "Of every day."

"That's bloody brilliant."

"It could also be quite dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands," Hitsugaya pointed out as he found his name scrawled inside one of the tiny banners.

His eyes narrowed as he saw what was written: _Hitsugaya Toshiro, Juuban Tai Taicho_. He frowned wondering if anyone else would notice. It was a small miracle that his title was listed properly as he would be addressed back in Soul Society. If it had been in English it could have been…troubling some to say the least.

Explaining things to Potter was definitely not one of his favourite things to do, especially on a day he'd thought would be rather problem free.

"But then again I'd say it's been in the wrong hands for some time now," he continued as he pulled his eyes away from the map. Maybe he'd be able to borrow it on some nights, Lord knew it would make his job a whole lot easier.

The twins grinned, "And here's where we're really going to make your day."

Fred-George?-placed his finger on what looked to be a passage that wound between the walls of the school, "It even shows the secret passages."

Harry eyes were practically glowing in excitement as he stared down at the parchment.

"And one of those passages," the other continued "Goes right into the cellar of Honeyduke's in Hogsmead."

Harry looked up, "You mean…?"

"There's a way for you to sneak into Hogsmead without anyone knowing," the two finished happily.

"It's beneath behind the statue of the one eyed witch," George-he was sure it was George-informed them as he followed the path with his finger tip. "Just say 'Dissendium' and the hump will open up."

Toshiro frowned because he knew where this was going; or rather where _they_ were going.

Fred handed Harry the parchment but not before carefully folding it back up, "And when you're done make sure to say 'mischief managed'."

Both of the twins reached forward and tapped their wands against it and the writing began to fade, "Or else anyone could read it."

Hitsugaya stared up at the sky as Potter thanked them repeatedly. It'd been cloudy that morning but the sun seemed to be trying to make an appearance.

–coming?"

He turned to find the teen staring at him expectantly, "I'm sorry?"

Potter sighed, "Are you going to come with me? We can use my invisibility cloak so no one will see us if you want. You could probably even find Neville if you wanted."

The taicho considered his options for a moment. There was really no choice but to go along for Potter's little adventure. He was supposed to be guarding him. Normally he didn't need to keep much of an eye on him considering he was always within the safety of the school grounds.

But now that he was leaving said grounds and traveling down a potentially dangerous passage that led to a location that he'd never been to and the fact that if anything Black was hiding out in Hogsmead…yeah. He really didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

"I'll accompany you," he agreed before quickly following after Potter and heading towards the One Eyed Witch statue.

He sighed, of all the things to make a statue of…

---

Getting to the passage had been simple enough…getting through it? Not so much.

Hitsugaya coughed for what was surely the fifth time as he walked face first into a cobweb yet again. It was getting to be a rather repetitive, annoying and all around tedious pattern.

He would walk into a cobweb, bat it away from his face or pull it away only to have dust and dirt fly everywhere.

He'd wanted to go down the passage first incase something happened that way Potter could head back at his order.

The taicho had made sure to have them make a detour to the common room so he could grab Hyorinmaru who was concealed beneath his thankfully long coat on his back. Maybe Matsumoto had planned for this sort of thing to happen…Was that a spider?

The Shinigami sighed as he shook off the unwanted passenger and continued on.

"Toshiro are you alright," Harry asked from behind him "You've been coughing a lot."

He grunted back not wanting to open his mouth again until they'd cleared the passage. He had no desire to ingest any spiders…although he'd heard they were full of protein. And if one was lost without provisions they could come in handy…

Harry suddenly swore as his head smacked into the ceiling.

"Oh hell, that hurt," he hissed as he held his forehead in pain.

"But it means we're getting close," the taicho grunted as he continued on, careful to watch his head-although really he didn't need to-so he wouldn't get hit himself.

After a few more moments he stopped; rays of light were coming from the ceiling spilling onto an old wooden staircase.

"We're here, get your cloak ready."

He couldn't see Potter nod but he really hoped he had because he wasn't in the mood to deal with any more problems.

Hitsugaya climbed the stairs silently, wincing as they screeched beneath his charge's feet. The white haired boy turned to glare at the teen icily.

"S-sorry."

---

Harry felt the temperature drop as Toshiro turned around to glare at him and he was disturbed to find the teal orbs glowing slightly in the shadows. He quickly apologized wanting nothing more then for those eyes to look away from him.

The white haired boy turned away much to his relief and silently opened the trap door in the ceiling before continuing up into the cellar becoming only a shadow in the oncoming light.

"Hurry it up," came an annoyed call from above and he quickly spread the cloak over his body before following after the dead boy.

The green eyed teen found himself surrounded by boxes and easily spotted Hitsugaya ever silent making his way up the stairs to the main floor. He could faintly see the outline of the sword strewn across the boy's back through the wool fabric of his black pea coat (2) and as he watched Toshiro pulled up the large hood up to hide the hilt that stuck through the neck.

He imagined it wasn't very comfortable, the boy would have to stand very straight…but then again he'd never really seen Toshiro slouch…

When they'd both slipped through the door at the top of the stairs they found themselves in the showroom of Honeyduke's which was filled to the limit with Hogwarts students.

The Boy Who Lived was surprised when the transfer grabbed him by the shoulder and directed him to the right only to see that both Ron and Hermione were standing a bit of a ways off.

As they drew near Hermione turned, "Oh! Toshiro, what are you doing here?"

Ron turned at her question and gave him a questioning glance, "What're you doing here? I thought you were staying behind with Harry?"

"Well Harry didn't feel like staying behind."

The two teens seemed to notice his grip on what appeared to be thin air for the first time.

"Harry," Hermione hissed quietly "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to leave the castle. What if you're seen?"

The green eyed boy shrugged and he felt Toshiro slacken his grip until he no longer felt the pressure of the hand on his shoulder, "Fred and George helped me out. I wasn't going to waste the opportunity."

"Why don't we all step outside," Hitsugaya suggested as he eyed the students around them and made sure his hood was positioned properly.

It was clear to the three friends that the small boy was rather tense, if not a little paranoid looking as he kept his back to the wall and his gaze continued to monitor the movements in the room.

He nodded, "Sure, we can head out and go see the Shrieking Shack or something. Maybe we'll see Neville."

Ron lead the way and the group soon found themselves out in the snow covered main winding lane of Hogsmead.

---

As Harry recounted what had happened with the twins Toshiro made sure to scan the area trying to see if anything was off.

The magic in the air was interfering with his senses but he'd grown almost used to the dull buzzing sensation it caused in the back of his head. He didn't know the layout of the village so he could only hope that they were actually heading to the Shrieking Shack as Potter had suggested.

As fate would have it they didn't see Neville so it was just the four of them when they arrived at the edge of the field where the Shack stood.

"It's supposed to be the most haunted house in all of Britain," Hermione said quietly.

"I don't see the appeal of a haunted shack when you've got spirits living in the castle," Hitsugaya noted as he stared out at the worn looking home. "Or when you've got a dead person standing right next to you."

The three friends stared at him openly.

Too soon?

When silence followed and they began looking at anything but him he nodded to himself.

Too soon.

He turned back to the house, "Are any of the teachers here?"

Hermione hummed, "I saw a bunch of the Professors head into the Three Broomsticks."

The taicho nodded as he hopped the small fence, "I want you three to go there right away."

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing," Ron choked out.

Toshiro pulled off his hood and quickly undid the buttons of his coat before throwing it to the redhead who clumsily caught it, "I'm going to look around."

"I-in there?!"

He nodded, "I can't sense anything from here but if it is haunted I should have a look around. And if not…looking around could prove rather…informative."

"But- but what's with the sword?!"

Harry's head suddenly appeared, "We'll go with you. That thing looks like it's about to fall apart, you can't go in there by yourself."

Icy blue met green, "I think you'll find I can. Now do as I said."

He could feel their gazes on his back as he walked down the overgrown path that led to the front door but when he reached it and turned back he was pleased to find them gone.

He carefully opened the door grimacing as the hinges squeaked in protest. Now that he was actually in the house he could easily detect the soul that was present on the floor above.

With a quick shunpo he was at the top of the stairs. The hallway had three doors but only one was open and he could hear the sounds of movement coming from within.

The taicho quietly made his way to the doorway and the sight of someone standing in front of the window met his gaze. The man turned at the sound of metal brushing against metal as the Shinigami drew his katana.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya."

"Sirius Black," Toshiro smirked "It's wonderful to see you again."

* * *

**1**. Okay, quick question here. One thing I've noticed is that I might be doing my questions wrong.

"You did fine last time didn't you," he asked.

"You did fine last time didn't you?" he asked.

I learned the first way, that's what our teacher told us to do and I've never had any trouble with it when I've handed in papers or anything. But does anyone know which one is right?

**2**. I love pea coats and I think Toshiro looks adorable in them! If you're not sure what a pea coat is there's a link of the basic style…but obviously it's different in the story or else it just wouldn't work.

www. animewallpapers .com /wallpapers /bleach/ full_35_800. php

I never understood why people always put spaces in the URLs...well now I know...they don't appear properly

* * *

Dear Readers,

So my stupid little brother got some stupid ass Optimus Prime toy and if he presses a button it says, "I am Optimus Prime." He keeps pressing the goddamn button! Every five minutes its, "Jacqueline! Guess what *presses button* _I am Optimus Prime_." Holy freaking mother of God! I'm ready to smack him and throw that toy out the window. He's taken to just saying it too. "Jacqueline, I can eat that cake because I am Optimus Prime", "Pass me the remote because I am Optimus Prime." *pulls on pony tail* I'm going crazy! I can't even express how annoyed I am. I'm going to kill him and take a bat to that thing and then ban that name from my house! *cries* Our entire freaking vacation he kept it up! "Jacqueline, you're pale and I'm tan…because I am Optimus Prime." Dear God, someone shoot me. But he had a point…he's very tan in comparison to me. I actually did get a tan but so did the rest of my family so I still look pale. *sigh*. I haven't gotten really tan since I was…eleven. My skin just doesn't darken a lot compared to other people. My dad is fare skinned naturally but he tans really well from doing random 'fix- it' jobs outside around the house. My mum is tan because she's constantly gardening (not like Florida I'm orange tan or leather tan but…nice tan). My brother…I don't know. But it doesn't matter how long I'm out in the sun, I'm always fare skinned compared to others. *grumbles* … freaking Optimus Prime…Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	25. Devil's Advocate

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Well I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed; I appreciate every single one of them. Sorry about the delay on this chapter but I was working on my other story which I've been neglecting for…quite some time now.

**Over 800 reviews! You're all just…**_**awesome**_**. **

**PS. It's my one year anniversary of joining FanFiction! An entire year…where did the time go?**

* * *

_The man turned at the sound of metal brushing against metal as the Shinigami drew his katana. _

"_Toshiro Hitsugaya."_

"_Sirius Black," Toshiro smirked "It's wonderful to see you again."_

_

* * *

_

"So how'd you find me," Sirius asked as he stood unarmed against the Shinigami.

"It was simple enough. This was the only place close enough to the school but still hidden away from people and the Dementors."

The man smiled, "You are a bright one."

"Flattery doesn't get far with me."

Black smirked, "But does the truth?"

Silence fell upon the run down room as Toshiro frowned, "The truth."

The haggard man nodded, "I told you before. This is all a misunderstanding!"

"Doesn't every guilty man say that?" The white haired boy asked coldly as he raised Hyorinmaru, prepared to cut down the convict in front of him and be done with it. (1)

"But I didn't kill James and Lily," Sirius protested as he backed away from the tip of the blade that drew ever closer, "They were my friends."

Toshiro quirked an eyebrow as he pressed Hyorinmaru to Black's neck, "Then why are you here to kill their son?"

"I'm not. I'm here for Peter," He said solemnly "I was framed. I would _never_ hurt Harry."

Hitsugaya sighed; things were getting far too complicated for his liking and to think, this was supposed to be a simple mission, "How did you get into the castle with— you turned into a dog."

The man nodded with a small smile, "They're easy to fool once you know how. You don't really need to bring me in do you? You said yourself that you're not really involved in this."

Toshiro shook his head, "I'm sorry but I'm under orders. If it ever got out that I'd had you in my custody and let you escape…well Dumbledore wouldn't be pleased to say the least."

The man looked thoughtful for a moment before a look of understanding spread across his haggard face, "He's got something on you."

"Hn. I suppose you could say that."

Black pursed his lips, "Dumbledore… doesn't have to find out about this."

Hitsugaya lowered Hyorinmaru slightly until it was pressed against his chest, "But the question is: why _shouldn't_ he hear about this?"

"You know that I'm not trying to hurt Harry so wouldn't it save you some trouble to just forget all about what Dumbledore's ordered you to do?"

The taicho smirked, "Or, I could bring you back to the castle, turn you in and be done with all this."

Black paled, W-Well, that's true but I'm an innocent man and you wouldn't want to be responsible for the death of an innocent at the hands of the Dementors would you?"

Well crap. He had a point.

Toshiro resisted the urge to growl. His orders from Soul Society were to protect the living from the Dementors which…included Black.

"I'm innocent; please you have to believe me."

And he did. Being able to tell who was trying to deceive you and who was being truthful was an important skill for any taicho to have in their arsenal. And Sirius Black was telling the truth.

"Whether I believe you or not isn't the problem. I have orders from the Headmaster that I must carry out. You can plead your innocence with him."

"Please! Just give me a chance!"

Toshiro stared up at the pleading man as he considered his options. He could bring Black to the Headmaster, but that meant that the Dementors would leave which at this point would make the last four months a complete waste.

Or, he could let the man go seeing as apparently he was innocent-not that he really cared either way-and try to move on with his mission from Soul Society.

The later of the two would also allow him to carry out his mission to the full extent and it wasn't exactly a bad thing that he'd be betraying Dumbledore…

"I'll make a deal with you," he started as he lowered Hyorinmaru and replaced him on his back. "I'll let you go, but I want a full explanation and if I find it acceptable I may even assist you in your endeavors."

Black let out a giant gust of air that he'd been holding in, "Really?"

The boy nodded, "Yes. If you intend no harm towards Potter or the other students then I suppose my contract is void."

He took a step back to allow the man some space and Sirius gave him a grateful look as he moved to sit on the ragged looking bed, "Thank you. I'm surprised you actually agreed," he chuckled disbelievingly.

Hitsugaya smirked, "If I can complete my mission and also get the chance to spite that annoying, meddlesome bastard then I'll gladly extend my hand in order to lend you aid. Dumbledore needs to learn where his boundaries lie. Now," he continued as he leaned against the damp wall

"Tell me about this Peter character."

* * *

Toshiro sighed as he neared the farthest edge of the village and the structures began to thin.

As he moved farther and farther away from the citizens and Hogwarts he could feel the buzzing sensation in the back of his mind begin to lessen as the magic in the air began to dissipate.

The taicho pulled his communicator out from his pant pocket and was glad to see that for the first time in the past four months that it would actually turn on. The magic had somehow interfered with it and from what he'd heard from some first years that was to be expected. Even summoning a Hell Butterfly had been futile. It had simply disintegrated mid-flight as it neared the school boundaries.

He sent a simple message informing them that there had been a problem but it had been resolved and that he'd be able to report in again in April.

The trek back into town was rather difficult seeing as he'd thrown his coat at Weasley and Hyorinmaru was clearly visible for all to see. As he made his way through the small town, trying to take as many back streets as possible he heard the familiar enraged voice of Harry Potter.

The taicho stopped for a moment wondering if he _really_ wanted to get involved. As the yelling continued and soon turned to crying Hitsugaya knew he wanted to do anything _but_ get involved…yet he didn't have much choice in the matter.

Weasley had his coat after all.

He found them almost exactly in the same place he'd left them, right in front of the Shrieking Shack and in the back of his mind he wondered whether Sirius could hear his Godson expressing his anguish and hate for his parent's betrayer.

Hermione was the first to catch sight of him from her place beside Harry sitting on a downed tree. He almost immediately spotted his coat strewn across the bark beside her along with the invisibility cloak and walked over quickly the crunching of the snow barely audible beneath his boots that his jeans were tucked into.

The Shinigami grabbed his coat and swung it around his shoulders before pushing his arms through the sleeves and throwing the hood over his head. The taicho made sure the cloak which he'd subtly grabbed was well hidden within the confines of the coat before turning around to face them.

Harry had stopped his crying to watch him as Toshiro went about doing up the many buttons on the coat. The teen's face was red and wet in places and his eyes seemed slightly swollen.

When the transfer realized that all eyes seemed to rest on him for some reason he looked over them flatly, "Oh, don't mind me. Continue."

When they continued to stare at him he turned on his heel and began making his way back to the castle.

"I suggest you all hurry if you want to make it back in time for dinner," he called over his shoulder.

He could hear them scrambling to catch up to him and the taicho couldn't help but smirk.

Ron was the first to ask him, "So what happened in there? What was it like?"

Toshiro let his gaze land on the redhead, "It was nothing more then a dilapidated old shack."

"There…there weren't any ghosts?"

"The only things in there, other then myself, were the spiders and some mice."

The Weasley teen seemed to pale at that for reasons unknown to the taicho.

"But what took you so long?" Hermione asked, "You were gone for over an hour and a half. We were starting to think you'd gone back to the castle already."

Hitsugaya shrugged, "I took my time looking around and went for a walk around the village before coming to find you."

She smiled, "It's very picturesque isn't it?"

He nodded absentmindedly, "Yes, I suppose so."

"Is it very nice where you're from?"

He glanced over at her, "I don't remember much about where I was born but I know that it was very warm during the summers…I'd walk through tall grass and I could always hear cicadas… The winters were very cold though."

She smiled, "And what about where you live now?"

The Shinigami frowned, "It's…nice."

"Just nice?"

He shrugged, "There's a large forest…lots of clearings and there are many stars at night. If it's quiet or if you're close enough you can hear the river flowing and the waterfall…I suppose it's quite beautiful actually."

Hermione nodded as she continued to smile, "Yes, it sounds lovely."

"Would you like to inform me as to why Potter was blubbering back there?" he asked already knowing the answer. Harry's face turned a dark shade of red as he ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I wasn't blubbering," he muttered.

"Hn. My mistake, wailing then."

As the three relayed all of what had happened in the Three Broomsticks and what Harry had overheard Toshiro simply nodded occasionally as he pretended to be listening.

Truth be told, Sirius wasn't a bad man really- he'd definitely met worse. Black was just a sad product of the Wizarding World's misguided justice system. If all went according to plan though, he'd be a free man with a clear record and Dumbledore would learn that there were some things out there that he simply couldn't hope to control or force his will upon.

A hand suddenly invaded his vision.

–there?"

On reflex he slapped the hand away and side stepped.

The taicho blinked and found Ron standing with his hand still held out in the air, "Are you alright mate? You spaced out there for a bit."

He nodded as he kicked at the snow, "Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"I know… it's hard to believe that he's Harry's Godfather…"

Actually, he didn't know because that's not what he was thinking…at all. But he nodded anyway to appease the boy.

The Shinigami slowed his pace as the castle gates came into view wanting nothing more then to get away from the sulky group. Potter alone was the poster child for Angst.

As the others continued on and he dropped behind Hermione stopped and turned to look at him curiously, "Are you coming? I thought you said we needed to hurry if we wanted to get back to the castle for dinner?"

"You go on ahead," He called back as he stared off at the gates "I'll head back a later."

She hesitated for a moment before Ron whined for her to hurry and she ran to catch up to her friends.

Toshiro ducked off of the dirt path and into the forest as soon as they left his line of sight. He made quick work of pulling off his coat and wrapping himself in the invisibility cloak. If he hadn't been able to properly sense Harry while he was under it, then the Dementors would have the same problem detecting him.

He knew that the Dementors would be stationed around the school gates to stop Black from getting in so in theory if he walked around the boundaries for a while he was sure to encounter one.

* * *

Hitsugaya had been walking around the edge of the school grounds for a few minutes before he realized that the temperature had dropped and it had nothing to do with him.

The taicho stopped in his tracks as the familiar feeling of dread and hopelessness washed over him but it was a comfort to know that they weren't targeting _him_ for once.

In the failing light it was hard to pick out the darkly shrouded figure that had drawn alarmingly close to him but he managed when it came within thirty feet of where he stood.

He crouched low to the ground, making sure that the cloak was still properly in place as he did. The last thing he needed after getting so close was for it to suddenly turn on him.

Toshiro struggled to quiet his breathing which was beginning to become slightly erratic and if he didn't know better he'd swear his heart was beating loud enough for the thing to hear it.

Fifty-seven.

As it glided through the trees it was easy to ear the rattling sound it emitted as it inhaled. Maybe it could taste things on the air similar to how a snake could. It seemed to lack a nose or ears so that seemed to be the best bet.

Eighty- five.

From what he could see the Dementor only had a pair of skeletal arms. It almost seemed to be boneless from the neck down and yet there was _something_ filling out the black fabric.

One Hundred.

On a normal human the stomach was generally in the torso so in comparison that could possibly be where the creature broke down and stored the souls…the radiating energy from the souls could be what caused the Dementors to levitate and could also in theory give the shroud that filled out look…

The shaking in his hands was growing steadily worse as the creature drew near in the darkness. In his mind Hitsugaya continued to count

…one-seventy-nine, one-eighty…

His breathing was coming in gasps as he drew Hyorinmaru, taking care not to knick the fabric of the cloak.

One-eighty-nine.

He blinked repeatedly to try and rid himself of the images of carnage, and shook his head to stop the sounds of screams from flooding his ears.

One-ninety-three.

The effects seemed to be less intense this time but maybe the Dementors could control how horribly a person was affected by them. Like a Shinigami who could control how much reiatsu they released in order to cripple their enemy or punish a subordinate.

One-ninety-seven.

Toshiro could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat as he gripped a near by tree and forced himself to his feet. The cloak fluttered to the ground and the Dementor stopped for a moment and inhaled deeply before seeming to zero in on him.

Two-oh-three.

His theory was proven right when it was suddenly as if he'd been punched in the stomach. The taicho could practically_ feel_ himself being pulled towards the creature's gaping mouth as he was forced to lean back against the trunk of the tree for support.

Two-oh-nine.

Black was beginning to bleed into his vision and he could hear people yelling as his knees threatened to give way.

Two-ten…

It was drawing ever closer and as Toshiro looked down at the pale hand gripping Hyorinmaru fiercely it was as if a trail of dust was coming off his skin. He was actually being eaten…

Two-twelve.

With a slash of his zanpakuto the Dementor was incased in a layer of ice that shattered not a moment later.

The Shinigami shuddered as he slid down the tree and sunk to the forest floor. With unsteady hands he wrapped himself in the cloak not wanting to draw any more of the creatures to where he was.

Two-twelve. He'd lasted for roughly three and a half minutes.

As the feeling began to return to his legs Toshiro sighed and climbed to his feet a little perturbed when it required some effort to steady himself. He'd probably feel a little worse for wear for the next day or so but it'd been worth it.

He picked up his coat which he didn't even remember dropping and began walking into the school grounds and back onto the path. The sky was steadily growing darker as twilight approached and the stars began to appear in the sky.

Making his way back to the castle was…rather tiresome to say the least but once he was within school bounds and no longer standing on the border he pulled off the invisibility cloak and folded it neatly.

Even putting on his coat and throwing his hood over Hyorinmaru's hilt made his arms ache and he had a feeling that it'd be even worse by the morning.

---

He found a rather panicked looking Harry along with Ron and Hermione sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the Main Hall entrance.

Although Toshiro could see Neville and Luna sitting at the far end of the Ravenclaw table he sat down beside Hermione, not all too sure if he could even make it to where his two friends were sitting.

–put it!?" He caught Harry asking Ron sounding horrorstruck.

The white haired boy set the neatly folded cloak on the table, "Is this what you're so worried about?"

The glasses wearing teen nodded as he scooped it up and stuffed it under the table and rounding on him, "Did you take it?!"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, "Yes, because I have nothing better to do then steal your possessions. I found it in a pile on the path up to the school. You're lucky I found it and not another of the students."

Harry narrowed his eyes, "But…I didn't think I had it going up the path…I thought I'd left it near the Shrieking Shack."

Toshiro shrugged as he tried to stop his hands from shaking as he poured himself a glass of water, "You were rather distraught. I thought maybe you hadn't noticed."

Potter frowned before seeming to except the explanation, "Well thanks for bringing it back."

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as he accidently spilled a bit of his water onto the table. He nodded as he wiped it away with his sleeve, "Yes, just fine."

"Are you sure because you look seriously pale mate," Ron said as he served himself some roast.

"You're not getting sick are you?" Harry asked and Hermione leaned over and pressed a warm hand to his forehead which he quickly pulled away from.

"You feel cold," She observed and went to go back to eating before she stopped short and turned to him looking horrified, "Oh I— I hope I didn't offend you or—

"Its fine," he said flatly before taking a sip of water, "_I'm_ fine."

"Well you don't look it," Harry grunted "What took you so long anyway?"

"I felt like taking my time."

The teen rolled is eyes, "Taking your time. Sure."

Toshiro glared but was pleased with the dismissal of the subject.

"You know," Hermione started "People are going to think it odd that you're sitting inside with your hood up."

The Shinigami nodded, "I'll go to the dormitory in a moment."

"I don't get why you had to bring a sword with you anyway," Ron said through a mouth of meat.

"Better to be cautious then caught unprepared," Hitsugaya sighed as he let his burning eyes slip shut.

The redhead stared for a moment before simply shrugging as a loud knocking sound bounced off the walls of the Hall.

The student body fell silent for a moment until a very familiar voice rang through the room, "I'm so sorry for disrupting. I would have been here earlier but you wouldn't believe the trouble I had getting into the school grounds."

The white haired boy slowly peeled open his teal eyes wondering if he _really_ wanted to turn around and confirm his fears of who was standing in the doorway.

"Hey Toshiro," Ron started "Is that your dad?"

* * *

1. So, that's how you're supposed to write a question in dialogue?

* * *

That ending line was for….! Okay, I've lost the email notification with your screen name in it. But you know who you are :P Its not exactly what you wanted but its the best I could do. We'll have to learn about Byakuya's fate another way.

* * *

Dear Readers,

My brother _finally_ stopped with the Optimus Prime thing. But he's taken to going, "Jacqueline, I am your brother." in a Darth Vader voice. It's creepy when its two o'clock in the morning and he pops up in only his boxers apparently having decided to improve upon his Darth Vader impression…and people say _I'm_ weird. He's a cool kid though. We actually don't fight seriously that much anymore now that he's not such a pansy. Its just playful banter and then we break out into Dane Cook quotes or something. But he can still be a pain in the ass. He loves repeating me in this high whiney voice and I've kicked him in the nuts several times when he wouldn't stop. I've also smacked him, thrown a shoe, a book… and a cat. Normally though once I start _really_ yelling he stops because he gets scared. I have a bad temper... I can yell really loud and I have a pretty sharp tongue too so according to him I can be very scary. I learned from the best! My Dad. I've always said: Other kids go out to parties and get drunk and high but they don't have my Dad. He has a simple motto: Stay out of trouble. (Then I have to say) don't take drugs (and then he goes) or you'll die in your sleep little girl. He's said that to me all my life… It's our goodnight ritual. To think, some Dads read their kids stories before bed! Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	26. Doting Father

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. Sorry about the delay on this. Be warned with school on the horizon updates will be farther apart. Thanks to all those who reviewed, they really do make my day.

**PS. I've posted two new one-shots. In His Time and Where Dreams Begin. They're about Toshiro. Surprised? No? Shame. **

**--**

**

* * *

**_The white haired boy slowly peeled open his teal eyes wondering if he really wanted to turn around and confirm his fears of who was standing in the doorway._

"_Hey Toshiro," Ron started "Is that your dad?"_

_

* * *

_

Hitsugaya turned around to find Ukitake-taicho standing in the doorway smiling to the room at large.

"He's a bit tall to be your dad though…can you even have a dad?" the redhead asked curiously, clearly oblivious to the waves of annoyance rolling off of the white haired boy in front of him.

Dumbledore as well as several of the other teachers stood from their seats with their wands already in hand. The long white haired man continued to smile as he waved politely to the headmaster.

"I'll be with you in a moment," he called down to them much to the confusion of the Professors.

Brown eyes suddenly met teal and the taicho quickly made his way over to wear the younger Shinigami was sitting. "Shiro-chan," Ukitake grinned happily "The house has been so empty without you. I've missed you."

Toshiro stared up at his 'father' before nodding, "Yes, I've missed you too."

The entire hall had gone silent except for their two voices which rang through the cavernous room. With a glance up at the head table Toshiro saw a very confused looking Dumbledore watching them, "Maybe it would be best if we…caught up elsewhere?"

The sickly man saw his pointed look and nodded as Toshiro stood from his seat and began making his way from the hall.

The taller taicho smiled to the students that still continued to stare before exiting the hall himself.

---

Harry stared after Toshiro and his father as they exited the hall and whispers broke out amongst the staff and students, "Do you think that was really his dad?"

Hermione frowned, "Well, they do look alike. I mean, the hair is unmistakable."

But it wasn't just the hair. The man had the same fair skin and while he was most definitely tall he had the same almost frail appearance.

Because as much as Hitsugaya would deny it; he was tiny.

He wasn't weak in _any_ way shape or form-Harry had seen some of the lean muscle that he sported- but with his small hands and feet on top of his height…he had the appearance of someone much more fragile then he actually was.

"They could be family," Hermione continued "But if that really is his father I have a feeling Toshiro gets his looks from his mother. They don't really have the same build and their faces are different shapes, not to mention their eyes. But…they do have the same air about them."

"Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this?" Ron huffed "How the hell can he have a dad?! It makes no sense. Maybe like an adoptive dad or something…but not his actual birth father."

Hermione sighed, "I'm not sure how it works either but…maybe he _could_ be Toshiro's father…second father I suppose."

"But why do you think he's here?" Harry asked quietly as he tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on out in the hallway.

"Maybe he's here to see how Toshiro's mission is going," Hermione theorized "Or maybe he's just here to check up on his son or see if he can help."

"But how do you think Dumbledore is going to take this?" Harry wondered "I mean, he thought Toshiro was a huge danger and this guy's probably way stronger if you take age as a factor."

The three friends glanced up at the head table to find that the Headmaster was participating in an intense conversation with Professors Lupin, McGonagall and Snape.

"You don't think they'll do something drastic do you?" Hermione asked worriedly. The dark haired boy shook his head, "I have no idea. But if he threatened Toshiro and this guy really is his father…I mean, if my kid suddenly told me he was being blackmailed I wouldn't just let it go."

"Even if they're not family," she grimaced "They seemed close so he still might step in."

"I don't know about close," Ron started "Hitsugaya seemed a little…awkward if you ask me."

"Well he was surprised over course!" Hermione glared "Wouldn't you be surprised if your father just suddenly turned up in the middle of dinner?"

The redhead looked away, "I guess…"

---

Hitsugaya made sure they were out of hearing distance from the hall just in case someone felt like ease dropping before he turned on the man behind him, "Just what the hell are you doing here?!"

Ukitake smiled down at him as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his coat, "We received your message earlier today and Yamamoto was concerned when you mentioned that you'd been having trouble so I offered to come and check up on you."

The smaller taicho ran a hand over his face, "This weather won't be good for your health you know."

The man smiled, "Don't worry I'll be fine I assure you. I'm not staying for very long anyway."

Toshiro nodded, "Fine. Everything hasn't really gone according to plan to be frank."

He nodded, "I could figure that much out. Now tell me, what happened to your gigai?"

The white haired boy looked around, "Not here. Let's go outside, and then I'll tell you everything."

---

The entire hall quieted for the second time that evening as Dumbledore along with Professors McGonagall and Lupin stood from their seats and made their way down and out of the door to the main hallway.

Harry got up as the remaining teachers resumed eating their dinner but anyone could feel the tense air surrounding them. Hermione watched as he began making his way after the headmaster, "What are you doing?"

He glanced back and met her worried eyes as he grabbed the invisibility cloak from under the table, "I'm just going to see what's happening. Toshiro might need some help."

"He's already got his dad," Ron spoke up but he was standing preparing to follow his friend none the less.

"Yeah well, as far as they're concerned his dad his one of the enemies. It might be good if he had someone they trusted to vouch for him or something."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow as she followed after the two boys, "Really? Because I think you're just curious."

Green met brown, "Well, there's that too."

---

Ukitake frowned, "You mean he's blackmailing you?"

Toshiro shifted his weight, "I wouldn't call it…blackmailing per se."

There was no way he'd actually admit to allowing himself to be blackmailed or that he'd let them hurt him physically as well. But what Ukitake didn't know wouldn't hurt him. There was no need for him to be informed as to just how long the smaller taicho had spent in the Hospital Wing. "But it worked out in the end."

The other sighed as he leaned against the cold wood of the castle door, "This isn't going as planned to say the least but I think you've gathered enough information so far that this hasn't been a complete failure. If you bring back more information on their society and capabilities in general I think the Sou-taicho would be quite pleased."

Hitsugaya nodded as he pulled off his hood to reveal his head to the cool night air, "Gathering information of that nature will be simple enough."

Ukitake stared into the white haired boy's eyes, "Are you sure about this plan you've worked out with this Black? It sounds as if he's not the most trustworthy of characters."

"It'll be fine I assure you. We've worked everything out and if he decides to betray me he'll be dealt with accordingly."

The older taicho went to say something but was cut off by a thump from the other side of the door and suddenly pushed off and distanced himself from it as it was thrown open.

Toshiro's hand unconsciously began to reach for the hilt of his zanpakuto as Ukitake's calmly reached for his Gikongan that was stashed within his coat pocket.

Dumbledore stood in the doorway his wand held firmly as McGonagall and Lupin watched anxiously from behind him.

The long haired taicho stepped forward as he held out of hand, "You must be Dumbledore," He smiled kindly as he switched back to English.

The headmaster stared for a moment before taking the pale hand in his own, "And you might be?"

Ukitake stepped back, "I'd like for everyone to think of me as Toshiro's father who's visiting for the Christmas season but in actuality I'm simply here to make sure everything is going…smoothly."

Dumbledore watched and Hitsugaya noticed -rather happily- that Ukitake was about the same height as the wizard.

The taicho looked down at his 'son' with a look of concern that Toshiro greatly resented, "But I'm afraid from what I've been told things haven't gone smoothly at all to say the least."

Toshiro could see the three Professors tense at the Shinigami's cold words. Lupin surprisingly was the first to break the oppressive silence with a nervous chuckle as he stepped out of the light of the hall and into the darkened entry way, "Yes, we had a bit of a rough start but I believe things have been going quite well as of late wouldn't you agree Toshiro?"

The boy met a pair of tired eyes as he nodded, "I suppose the last few weeks have gone along rather smoothly."

"But that doesn't change what occurred earlier in the year," Ukitake said as a deep frown slipped onto his face "I was rather disappointed to hear that he'd been treated so horribly when he'd done nothing to warrant it."

The haggard looking werewolf nodded, "I'm truly sorry about how your… son was treated but I assure you all of his injuries were healed and— "Injuries?" Ukitake asked as he quirked an eyebrow and glanced down at his new charge. "I don't recall hearing anything about injuries."

Toshiro huffed quietly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets carelessly, "Well, as he said they were healed by their medic and I didn't feel the need to…" He trailed off when he noticed the look he was getting.

May I enquire as to how he acquired these injuries?"

Dumbledore looked at him gravely, "He received them while being interrogated."

"Interrogated."

The headmaster nodded, "I'm afraid we thought Mr. Hitsugaya here was a threat to the school when he first arrived but I assure you things have been cleared up."

The air was thick with tension as the two men stared each other down much to the dismay or annoyance on the others.

McGonagall cleared her through, clearly having had enough, her actions quickly catching the attention of the group, "May I ask just how you got past the Dementors?"

The taicho nodded at the woman, "As you can imagine they gave me quite a bit of trouble but…I have my ways."

Dumbledore stepped forward as he raised his wand, "And who's to say you're not a danger to the students?"

"Is Toshiro a danger to the students?"

"Not anymore."

"Well, I would think the same would stand for me wouldn't you say?"

The headmaster scowled, "You could very well be ten times as powerful as Hitsugaya."

Ukitake nodded, "Yes…I can see why you'd be rather apprehensive about this. But I assure you I mean no harm."

Toshiro glared, "He couldn't say the same I'm sure."

The older taicho rolled his eyes as he set a firm hand on the boy's cold shoulder, "I'll be leaving the school grounds soon enough either way. I just came to check in with Toshiro here. I'll be staying in the village."

"Can you really trust him sir?" a voice asked and the group turned to find Snape making his way through the door wand at the ready. "Let's not forget what they both _really_ are."

Lupin sent the greasy man a glare which the potion's master returned easily. The long haired Shinigami gave Snape a rather patient look, "I'm not asking you to trust me. But I can assure you that if it comes to light that you've continued to treat Toshiro in an… undignified manner there will be consequences."

The black haired man sneered, "Did you hear that Headmaster? He's threatening us."

"Not threatening. Simply warning."

"Severus please," Dumbledore sighed. "I think that it's been made clear that mistakes were made on both our parts. It's understandable that Mr. Hitsugaya's _father_ would be concerned."

Toshiro glared at the elderly looking man thinking that the only mistake he'd made was not running the man through while he could.

The taicho stopped for a moment as something off to the side of their little group caught his attention. In the heat of their arguments he hadn't noticed at first but the faint signatures of three souls were now clearly resonating off to his left.

Hitsugaya let his gaze slide to where he suspected them to be standing well hidden under the invisibility cloak and hoped for all that he was worth that they could see his glare in the half light.

---

The trio skidded farther to the right as Snape suddenly appeared in the doorway as they'd been making their way through and Ron exhaled quietly as they barely managed to avoid colliding with the man, "Bloody hell that was close."

Hermione shushed him as the two groups continued to argue incessantly.

The redhead couldn't help but snicker when Toshiro's father went on to threaten Snape only to wheeze when he was rewarded with an elbow to the gut from his best friend.

The three stopped their not so silent bickering when a wave of cold air suddenly washed over them that had nothing to do with the winter weather. The Gryffindors turned slowly to find none other then a rather annoyed looking Toshiro Hitsugaya glaring at them clearly well aware of their presence.

"Harry," Ron hissed quietly. "His eyes are _glowing_."

And it was true. The teal orbs were indeed glowing in the twilight and the fact that Harry had seen it a few times before made it no less eerie.

"That's…new," Hermione swallowed nervously as they all took an involuntary step back.

---

Hitsugaya resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as the Snape continued to try and bicker with Ukitake. _Try_ being the key word. Ukitake didn't bicker. He was a gentle, kind soul sure, but if he really wanted to win an argument he did.

And with the ease of a man simply batting aside a fly. It could be startling sometimes, but he wasn't a taicho for nothing.

The potion's master stared as the white haired man yet again insulted him in a round about sort of way that made the on lookers curious as to if the man was even conscious of his doing so.

Toshiro growled and the temperature began to drop and all eyes, including that of the now rather purple looking Snape, fell on him, "I think," he hissed impatiently, "That it's getting rather late and I'd like to sort this out _before_ dawn."

Ukitake nodded, "Yes, I'd like to head out soon as well if I want to make it to the inn where I'm going to be staying."

The smaller taicho nodded, "Alright. Dumbledore," he started grudgingly "Are you…_willing _to leave…my 'father' out of this matter. I think things can be kept strictly between us. If things go wrong, you still have me after all and you've still got your guard. He won't be staying on the grounds which I think is fair."

The headmaster stared and the white haired Shinigami could see the mistrust in those cold, calculating-yet oddly sparkly- eyes.

The taicho knew the man in no way trusted him, but in the past few weeks they'd built up a tolerance. It wasn't much but it was something.

With McGonagall's protective nature for her students, and Lupin along with Pomfrey vouching for him it seemed as if Dumbledore had further reconsidered the actions he'd taken at the beginning of the year. And while he most certainly hadn't apologized –and Toshiro didn't expect him to, he'd made more of an effort to see him as something other then…a creature. A monster.

It was clear when their eyes met. But that didn't stop the resentment, or the _fear_, that strained the tentative relationship between them. There was respect though.

Because although Hitsugaya was loath to admit it, he understood why the Headmaster had acted as he did. After all, he too had people who depended on him. Found safety in him. It was daunting to know the fate of so many people rested on your shoulders and sometimes that robbed you of your ability to see things clearly for what they were.

It made you attack first and question later. He understood his actions. He even understood the man. Which was why he could never follow him blindly as many like Harry Potter did, why he could never admire Albus Dumbledore like countless people did.

"I think after everything you've done," Hitsugaya continued "The least you can do is leave him out of this. There's no reason to make things any more tangled then they already are by adding another player."

The Headmaster was quiet for a moment longer letting the sound of the cricket's song fill the silence in the night air. "I think that will be agreeable. But, I would like to see you some time over the break to discuss this…incident Mr. Hitsugaya."

The boy nodded, "I find that perfectly acceptable."

Snape went to sneer only to be cut off by an indiscrete shove from Lupin and a thin lipped look from McGonagall.

"Later Severus," the Deputy Headmistress growled.

A loud clap resounded through the area drawing everyone's attention to the smiling Ukitake, "Well, now that everything has been worked out I think its getting rather late. Toshiro should be in bed if he's expected to get up for classes."

The white haired Shinigami glared, "I think we still have more to— "I'll be in contact," his 'father' assured. "In the mean time I think…I'll pay a friend a visit."

Hitsugaya nodded, immediately seeing the hidden meaning, "Yes, I think he'd be interested in seeing you. Be careful though, at this time of night you might startle him."

Ukitake nodded as he made his way down the steps, his boots silent against as they traveled over the icy stone and the freshly fallen snow, "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be very pleased to see me. Good evening to you all." He waved kindly as he strode down the dark path towards the school gates and Lupin along with McGonagall returned the gesture hesitantly.

Silence once again fell upon the entrance to the school as everyone stared after the man.

Well, it seemed their little impromptu meeting was over.

Toshiro turned to leave as the older taicho's voice suddenly called from within the darkness, "Oh and Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya stopped and turned to look out after the other Shinigami.

"Rangiku-san wanted me to give you a message," he shouted over the howling wind "She said: It won't be long now."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Sorry again about the delay on this chapter. I was sick for a while and (this is just sad)…I couldn't find a nice song. *laughs nervously* I need music to listen to as I write. I hate the quiet plus it also drowns out annoying family… and it doesn't even matter if the song is completely out of context but…I need to just stick it on repeat so it keeps playing and just fades into the background but is still there you know? It helps me concentrate. It's very early but yes, it's Monday which means school is tomorrow. Updates will probably start being only once a week. I write in class though so the slow down shouldn't be too bad. Good luck to everyone on their first week back! Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.

**PS. Don't forget to check out those one-shots if you can. **


	27. Rigor Mortis

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! First week of school. How did it go? I bet you're all so _happy_ to be back in class. Thanks to all those who reviewed it really does make my day to read them. I think I'll like this once a week update thing…

**OVER 900 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS …are just **_**amazing.**_

Seriously.

**This chapter is for RmfD because I absolutely LOVE your love reviews and I ALWAYS look forward to them. **

* * *

_Hitsugaya stopped and turned to look out after the other Shinigami. _

"_Rangiku-san wanted me to give you a message," he shouted over the howling wind "She said: It won't be long now."_

_

* * *

_

Toshiro stared after where the taicho had vanished into the darkness taking a moment to let the day's events sink in.

He sighed as he glanced back to where the teachers were standing in awe- or maybe in disbelief. Potter and his merry band of fools were still standing off to his right frozen in place just as their Professors were. Maybe it was a wizard thing.

"Well," The boy started as he pulled of his coat revealing Hyorinmaru hanging along his back to anyone who cared to look and neatly folded it over his arm "I'm heading in for the night, its been a long day. I suggest you all head in as well."

And with that he turned on the heel of his boot and strode through the door.

---

Lupin glanced over at the Headmaster as the man watched the disappearing back of Toshiro's 'father' but he seemed to break from his trance at the boy's terse words.

The Defence against the Dark Arts Professor turned to watch his student stride away fluidly. Too gracefully really for someone who appeared to be so young. It made him seem rather haunting.

It was part of what made him stand out in a crowd-other than the hair and eyes. The way he moved commanded attention; respect. At first he thought it was just how people like him were. Graceful almost to a fault; that it was a mark of what he was. Not really part of the living world- not really there, so his steps made no sounds as if he was simply an apparition.

But the man, while he looked and felt similar in ways he was also very different from Toshiro. He was more relaxed, he held himself more loosely, as if he was at peace with the world.

The werewolf had though the boy was rigid partly because of what he was, what he did. Death in itself brought about a sense of rigidity. Once someone was dead and the light had died from their eyes rigor mortis would set in…stiff.

Death was stiff.

It didn't wane or bend for anyone. It was merciless.

But the man had to admit seeing the older…whatever he was, gave him hope. Hope that Toshiro would be able to experience that kind of tranquility one day.

"What are you going to do Headmaster?"

Dumbledore turned to look at him with calm eyes, "We'll leave it for now. He's promised to stay away so we can deal with him later if need be. But otherwise I think things should be fine."

The use of 'we' wasn't lost on the younger man.

Snape glared, "Surely you can't be planning to actually let him walk around freely? At least you have that little freak restrained to a point but _him?_ For all we know he could be going back to wherever the hell they come from so he can return with reinforcements to save his little _comrade_."

"Severus please," McGonagall huffed as she crossed her arms to try and protect herself from the cold "The boy isn't a freak— "I would beg to differ!"

"He _isn't_ a freak and you would do well to remember that he's one of your students. And the man seemed quite nice and he seems to understand what type of position they're in. Toshiro appeared to be perfectly compliant with everything- if a little resentful not that you can blame the poor lad." She glared at him thin lipped "He knows what will happen if he steps out of line and he clearly cares for the child. I highly doubt he'd try anything."

The potion's master scoffed before storming through the doors and back into the castle.

Lupin sighed before he noticed something in his peripheral vision and turned only to find nothing there. The Professor rubbed his eyes, realizing how long it'd been since he'd had a full night's sleep, "Well, I'm going to head in and get to bed. It's getting late after all."

The Headmaster and his second nodded and bid him a good night quietly before he too slipped back into the castle leaving the cold air and star filled sky behind.

---

Toshiro stifled a yawn as he climbed the stairs not bothering to hide Hyorinmaru seeing as the halls were entirely empty. He couldn't be sure of the time but it was either past curfew or getting close to it.

It was a small grace that it was the beginning of the Christmas holidays meaning he'd have the next two weeks off. He'd thought about heading back to Soul Society for the time but with Ukitake staying in the village it looked like he'd be staying at Hogwarts for the Holidays.

"Toshiro!"

The small taicho turned to find Potter along with Weasley and Hermione racing up the steps after him as he reached the top, not bothering to stop and wait.

The taicho let loose a quiet yawn into his sleeve becoming aware of just how sore his limbs were. Between running around all day and the Dementors…well he was tired to say the least.

He blinked his watery eyes as he heard the trio racing down the hall after him.

"Toshiro," Hermione called as she fought to catch her breath.

"Yes?"

Ron fixed him with a narrow eyed glare clearly scrutinizing him, "Was that _really_ your dad?"

The taicho shrugged as he continued down the hall towards the portrait hole.

"Well come on!" Ron called as he caught up. "We just want to hear you say it. I mean, how the hell can you even have a dad? You're dead. Sure, you had a dad before but is he really your dad? You look alike and all but I thought you said it was hard to find your family? So he's not _really_ your dad…right?"

Hitsugaya muttered the password and climbed into the common room before making his way over to the window and throwing it open. Ron continued to grumble as the transfer sat down in his regular seat farthest away from the fire.

"He's…my father," Toshiro answered quietly as he glanced around the room looking for Ran.

The redhead gawked, "Is he really?!"

"Hn."

Hermione and Harry sat in the empty chairs gathered around the windows as the sound of meowing met their eyes. The four Gryffindors turned to see Neville appear at the bottom of the stairs with a mewling Ran held carefully in his arms, "Toshiro, your cat won't be quiet. Dean's getting ready to throw him out the window."

The taller boy walked over to his friend and plopped the kitten down into the awaiting pair of arms before taking an empty seat.

They all fell silent as they watched the snow swirl delicately through the air, some landing on the white haired boy's lap as he rhythmically stroked his kitten's soft fur.

"Oh," Neville exclaimed as he looked to Ron worriedly, "There's some blood on your sheets."

"WHAT?!"

The redhead took off up the stairs muttering things like 'goddamn cat' and 'Scabbers'.

"So," Neville started as he turned back to Hitsugaya whose eyes had begun to slip closed

"Are you going to tell me what that at dinner was about or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow,' Toshiro sighed "I'll explain tomorrow."

---

Hitsugaya was woken by the sound of Ron's continuous screeching –there really was no better word for it- about Hermione's 'devil cat' who'd apparently eaten his scabs…ah but that was _Scabbers_ they were talking about.

A cat eating scabs was revolting. A cat eating Scabbers…well the creature was filthy and boney so it was equally revolting but at least understandable.

The taicho pounded a fisted hand into his pillow before throwing off the covers and crawling from the bed. He pulled on the dark jeans he'd worn the day before along with a white short sleeved v-neck he found in the bottom of his trunk. He was going to ignore the bright red suspenders that had been tied to it with string. Matsumoto had…_interesting_ taste to say the least.

The common room was surprisingly almost empty but the few occupants made up for their lack of numbers with sheer noise.

"Hey Toshiro!"

The Shinigami winced as he suddenly became aware of the pounding headache he was suffering from.

For a brief moment he couldn't help but wish his heart would just stop its incessant beating so that he might have a moment of peace.

"TOSHIRO!"

"What?!" he snapped as he turned to find Ron along with Neville, Harry, and Hermione sitting around the window clearly waiting for him.

The taicho made his way over and opened the window before taking his seat beside his friend. The redhead leaned forward clearly ready to start in on another loud rant but stopped when Toshiro held a slender finger to his own pale lips and shushed him. Maybe he'd be able to find some painkillers and green tea…oh that sounded lovely.

"Are you alright," Hermione asked quietly as she stared at the white haired boy.

"Headache."

"If you go down to the hospital wing I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will give you something."

He contemplated getting up, walking through the portrait hole, walking down to the hospital wing, getting the medicine, hearing Pomfrey's nagging, walking back to the tower, coming back through the portrait hole and sitting down again…and decided he was much too tired for that.

"So," Neville prompted in a quiet voice "Are you going to explain what your dad is doing here?"

"Yeah and how the hell you can have a dad! Because I'm still confused about that," Ron huffed.

The Shinigami blinked as Ran suddenly jumped into his lap before nodding as the kitten settled down, "He's here to make sure everything is going alright. Just like I'm sure you gathered already. He was just checking up on me."

Hermione nodded, "Well I guess he'd be worried considering you came here by yourself and with everything Dumbledore put you through…but Ron does have a point."

The redhead sent her a vicious glare much to the exasperation of Harry who was stuck in the seat between them.

"Because finding your real family is near impossible especially considering how they all rarely die at the same time make-shift families are formed. I'm not actually related to him, but I've known him as far back as I can remember."

Harry frowned at that, "But that doesn't make sense. You said you could remember when you were alive."

Toshiro shrugged, "It's all blurred and I'm sure in time I'll completely forget those memories. I've got many years ahead of me. But what I can remember is…separate I suppose, from what I can remember of being dead. Its…almost like thinking back to a dream that you're not really sure happened," he nodded, content with his explanation.

"It's disjointed and faded. Even my memories of being dead will fade. It's the same as living. The mind isn't intended to remember so many events so eventually…I'll forget," He continued, "It's similar to how you can't remember back to when you were very young or your first steps. It's the same really. So I've known him as far back into my hundred twenty-one years as I can recall."

Hermione smiled, "So he really is just like a father to you then."

The taicho nodded as he slipped his hand through Ran's fur, "Yes."

"Well," Harry started "That's…-

"Sweet," Hermione finished for him.

"Uh…not the word I would have used but…sure."

"When will he be leaving?" Neville asked "Because if he's staying I guess that means you're here for the Holidays."

The taicho considered that for a moment, "I suppose…I'm staying. Or at least staying in the village with him. But, he said he'd be staying only for a while and he mentioned something about the holidays so maybe he's here for the duration."

The group nodded as the white haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose wishing for not the first time that he had a pair of earplugs. He actually had a pair stored in the top drawer of his desk…on the topic of Soul Society he couldn't help but feel sorry for Byakuya.

Either Matsumoto was lying or the poor man was at the end of his rope. He was half expecting a pile of paperwork to show up in the next week when he considered just how devious she could be. When he returned he'd have to send an apology card…or maybe a muffin basket.

Did Kuchiki like muffins?

Well, if not then Abarai would eat them. But it was the thought that counted.

"Toshiro, are you sure you're alright?" Hermione asked worriedly "You're looking very pale."

He sent her an exasperated look before she flushed, "Oh my. I'm always offending you aren't I? I'm so sorry really!" she flailed "I'm completely tactless! I'm no better then Ron. But— but you _do_ look sick." She finished lamely.

"She's got a point," Neville nodded "Maybe you should go back to bed."

_Bed_. Bed sounded amazing. But he couldn't allow himself to waste any more of the day than he already had.

"Ron," he started as he bit back a yawn "You said your rat—

Harry made a cutting motion across his throat but the damage was done.

"YEAH! Her bloody cat ate him! Ate my rat! He's been passed down through my family for years," the redhead began ranting angrily as he glared in Hermione's direction "What am I going to tell them? Poor little guy's been sick for so long and then he goes and gets eaten by that git of a cat!"

The bushy haired girl turned to look at her friend, "Crookshanks didn't eat Scabbers."

"Then what was that blood Neville found?!"

"Maybe it was from something else."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"You can't expect me to explain _everything_ to you."

"See even you have no other explanation!"

"Ron," Hitsugaya snapped as he shoved Ran off and stood "I'll help you look for your rat. Let's go."

The youngest Weasley son looked taken aback, "You're going to help me look for him?"

"That's what I said. Now hurry up."

"You don't think he's in the tower if he's even alive?"

The taicho shook his head as he grabbed the green zip up he'd left resting on the back of the chair several days ago realizing that for the first time in a long while he was actually a little chilly.

"I have a feeling he's as far away from Gryffindor Tower as he can get. Now come on, we'll stop by the hospital wing on the way back so I can get a headache remedy."

The redhead nodded as he followed the smaller boy out of the portrait hole leaving a rather surprised Harry and Hermione in their wake.

* * *

Ron grumbled as he clambered back through the portrait hole and into the now rather crowded common room pleased to see Harry sitting in the corner reading a book on Quidditch.

The Boy Who Lived looked up at his friend as he approached noticing how annoyed he looked, "I take it you didn't find him?"

"No," the redhead grunted as he took a seat "And we looked all over the place. I'm telling you that beast she calls a cat ate him!"

Harry simply ignored his friend's whines as he glanced back up, "Where's Toshiro?"

"Oh," The Weasley said as if just remembering "We stopped by the hospital wing on the way back to grab him something for his headache but I guess it turns out he has a bit of a fever— that'd explain the headache. But uh, Pomfrey made him stay."

Harry clucked his tongue, "Well knowing her she'll want to keep him there for the night."

"Yeah but knowing him he'll be out in a half hour."

---

Hitsugaya smirked as he finally managed to slip through the door and out into the abandoned hallway.

Madame Pomfrey had managed to keep him there for a little over an hour but she'd finally had to look after someone else who'd come in complaining that there were suddenly sprouting feathers out of their ears.

Thankfully, his headache was gone and he wasn't as tired as he'd been earlier in the day when he'd gotten up. It seemed that the stress of the Dementor's effects from the night before had taken their toll.

But, he was feeling better, he'd confirmed Pettigrew was gone and he'd managed to give Ron the slip. The day was definitely looking up.

It took him a moment to get his bearings but once he did that taicho began making his way towards the statue of the One Eyed Witch. It would lead him straight past the Dementors and leave Dumbledore pleasantly unaware of his leaving.

If he played his cards right he could get into Hogsmead, meet with Sirius and Ukitake and no one would be the wiser.

Half way to the statue he began to grow impatient and shunpo'ed the rest of the way and then through the darkened, musty tunnel. The Shinigami didn't bother to stop and give an explanation to the rather traumatized shop worker who'd been sorting boxes in the basement when he'd appeared.

She'd get over it…eventually.

He was surprised to find the snow blanketed town full of people, he even spotted the Ruins teacher cutting through the crowd.

They glanced at him curiously as he passed, some with looks of confusion while others with apprehension. An elderly man even stopped to ask him why he wasn't up at the school and where he'd forgotten his coat.

The taicho had stared up at the brown haired man and begun speaking in rapid Japanese letting some annoyance slip into his tone of voice. The man had walked away rather quickly muttering about 'damn tourists'. Well there surely were enough of them.

When he arrived at the Shrieking Shack it was surrounded by tourists and they seemed to have no intentions of leaving any time soon. Ah, time to put his looks to good use.

The taicho walked over and leaned against the fence pretending to ignore the questioning glances he received until he turned to glare at the five wizards. A woman swallowed loudly while one of the men backed away apparently intimidated.

He let loose some reiatsu and when the air was suddenly freezing while he continued to glare with what he'd been told by Matsumoto would be rather luminous teal eyes.

They seemed to be in a bit of a hurry as they practically ran down the path back towards the village, one of them actually forgetting their gloves on the fence.

The boy smirked as he hopped said fence and strode down the path, the snow blowing around him in the wind and into the old dilapidated house.

"Shiro-chan?" Ukitake's voice loudly "We're upstairs!"

The taicho rolled his eyes as he walked up the rickety stairs actually thankful that he was so small and light— though he'd never admit it!

He found Ukitake along with Sirius sitting around an old broken table with a deck of playing cards.

"Having fun?"

The convict smiled, "The most I've had in years."

The older taicho nodded, "You didn't tell me he was such a splendid man."

Black laughed, "I wouldn't say splendid."

They continued to joke and laugh as Hitsugaya stood in the door sighing as he leaned back against the frame.

Of course they'd be fast friends.

* * *

Dear Readers,

School…its not too bad I guess. But it's only the first week so there's still time for it to suck ass. Has anyone watched the Diamond Dust Rebellion dubbed? I was bored so I thought I'd check it out and see if they did it justice. And…I didn't like it. I don't like Toshiro's voice. I liked it when I only watched the dub but once I heard his Japanese voice there was just no comparison. Plus…that's also the voice actor of Edward Elric in the Japanese. But anyway, I just…the voice works for Neji Hyuuga from Naruto but not Toshiro. Other then that though…the dub isn't _horrible_ quality. But it still doesn't hold a candle to the original Japanese. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	28. Tidings of Regret

A/N: Hey everyone! How was your week? Good I hope! Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really makes my day to read them all. Sorry about the delay on this…

_

* * *

_

_They continued to joke and laugh as Hitsugaya stood in the door sighing as he leaned back against the frame. _

_Of course they'd be fast friends_.

* * *

Various time skips ahoy. Because…well…Christmas break is damn long. And I'm not writing more than two chapters about it.

* * *

Toshiro tried not to yawn as he leaned into his palm under the weary eye of Neville.

"Are you alright?"

The taicho nodded as he blinked rapidly trying to clear the haze from his eyes.

"You've seemed really tired the past few days."

Of course he had.

As much as he despised the idea, he'd adjusted to sleeping for at least eight hours a night but for the past week he'd been sneaking off to see Ukitake and Black- their odd friendship had continued to flourish-.

Anyway, it had resulted in him constantly yawning and his eyes had picked up the nasty habit of burning whenever they were open.

"Maybe you should lie down for a while. I mean, we're on holidays you might as well relax."

The thought of going back to bed was an enticing one but as it was he couldn't bring himself to actually head back to the tower. The thought of the walk alone was enough to deter him.

His first few days of winter vacation had been filled with snow ball fights-during which he'd sat and 'held the fort' for the Weasley twins-, skating on an ice rink that Hagrid had constructed-he'd discovered he was rather adept at skating-, and just sitting out in the snow with Luna and Neville. Or at least during the day light hours.

"Hey, Toshiro!"

The taicho turned to see Harry rushing down the Gryffindor table looking rather excited. Hitsugaya gave him a questioning look not bothering to correct his posture as he stared up at the teen.

"I've just been with Professor Lupin," he started as he took a seat, grabbed a roll and began to butter it. "And I was talking to him about the Dementors and it suddenly hit me that he can teach me how to get rid of them!"

The taicho nodded, it all made sense.

"So," Harry looked up with a grin "I was thinking that you might like to join me. I mean, you have trouble with them too so I figure you'd like to learn how to get rid of them."

Neville nodded, "That sounds like a great idea."

Toshiro considered it for a moment before shaking his head.

Harry gaped, "What?! Why?"

The Shinigami simply shrugged as he sipped his tea showing how uninterested in the offer he truly was.

Neville sighed as he snatched the cup of tea from the white haired boy's hands and held it out of his reach, "I'd like to know as well."

Hitsugaya glared, "That's my own business."

The taller boy stared before taking a long sip of the tea and smirking at his friend and continuing. Toshiro resisted the urge to twitch as he growled, rather annoyed at the fact that his tea was slowly being consumed. And _not_ by him.

He glanced down the table, perturbed to find that the pot of tea seemed to have gone missing. He looked back to find Neville once again raising the cup to his lips and glared.

The taicho huffed as he looked at his now more then half empty cup still clutched in Neville's hands. He sighed and held his hand out, "I'll do it my own way…maybe I'll sit in on the lessons but I won't participate or use magic. It's not used where I'm from so its not practical."

Neville nodded as he handed back the cup much to the amusement of Harry who'd watched the scene with a grin.

The taicho frowned, "Well there's no point in giving this back to me now. It's already half empty."

His friend smiled as he chuckled lightly, "Really? And here I though it was half full."

* * *

Toshiro watched as Hermione wrapped yet another gift-a book-, this one apparently for Ron. The young witch looked up to meet his gaze from her place on the floor, "Do you normally celebrate Christmas?"

He shook his head as she went back to wrapping, a calm silence enveloping them.

"Have you thought about what you're going to give Neville?"

The taicho's eyes slid open as he frowned, "Give him?"

She rolled her eyes, "Or course. He's your best friend after all."

He stared, "Best…friend."

"Yes," she answered flatly as she set the perfectly wrapped book aside and moved on to the next.

He'd never thought of Neville as his best friend. _Friend_, yes but not _best_ friend. It'd been hard enough to really come to terms with the fact that he'd made a friend but that he had a best friend…well. That was another matter entirely.

It was odd. He didn't think of himself as the type of person to have companions around him.

"Well…what sort of thing do I give him?" he asked, frowning as he did. "What's appropriate? Is there some sort of…standard?"

The busy haired girl looked up at him like he'd lost his mind, "Are you serious?" He nodded. "Well…you've got to get something you think he'd like."

What did Neville like? He liked…plants. He liked…carrots. Seeing his distress Hermione sighed, "Haven't you ever given a birthday gift before?"

"Yes…"

"Well, just think of it as picking out a birthday gift."

He nodded as an idea began to form in his mind. He'd have to see Lupin about it later…

"So what do you celebrate if not Christmas? You said before that you don't celebrate Halloween either."

"We don't have Christmas…but we have large festivals and things around New Years."

Hermione smiled, "That must be nice."

The Shinigami shrugged, "I haven't been able to take part in the festivities for quite a few years now…but it _is_ nice I suppose."

The teen continued to wrap her book as she nodded, "So do you have any idea as to what you're going to give Neville? Oh, and you can't forget Luna," she added as an after thought.

"Hn. I won't. I have an _idea_…but I can't be sure yet."

The witch nodded as she finished wrapping her gifts, "So have you started that Potion's essay yet?"

"I'm almost done but I have a few facts I want to check before I write it all out properly."

"Actually," Hermione frowned "How _is_ you're writing in English? I know you speak fluently but actually being literate is a whole other matter."

he taicho fiddled with the hem of his track pants as he pulled up his knees and rested his chin on top of them trying to get more comfortable, "It wasn't necessary to learn proper grammar when writing, just the bare minimum but I worked ahead."

"So, you went to school than?"

"Yes. It was much different from Hogwarts though."

"Then…you're finished your schooling?"

Hitsugaya nodded, "I finished a few decades ago."

She looked a little taken back by that but otherwise seemed to accept the fact quite well, "So, what do you do now? Do you work?"

The white haired boy smirked, "I can't tell you that."

The girl huffed as she stood, "Fine. Don't tell me. I can respect that." Clearly, she was having difficulty with not continuing to pester him.

"Do you really think they want books as their gifts? They don't really strike me as the reading type."

"Exactly. If it weren't for my gifts over the years those two would be practically illiterate."

He had to admit, she had a point.

---

Toshiro sighed as he once again picked the lock on the shop's door. It was becoming a bit of a skill. His time was down to five seconds.

Needless to say his travels between the Shrieking Shack rarely took place during regular business hours so he'd taken to picking the lock like a petty thief.

All it had taken was a small pin he's grabbed off of the desk and a bit of practice.

_Wizards_.

You'd think they'd have better security.

He slipped from the store and out into the quiet, deserted streets with ease. On one of his first late night excursions he'd thought at least a few people would be milling about in the streets or sitting in the local pub but it seemed that with the current situation of Dementors roaming the area and the threat of a murderer on the loose most stayed inside after night fall hidden away behind locked doors and covered windows.

He made his way through the silent village as snow began to drift from the sky and through the night air. It was beautiful, and as he glanced up he couldn't help but be reminded of the last time he'd looked out into the depths of the snow filled sky as a living child. Waiting for death to come and blanket him along with the snow that had chilled him to the bone.

The Shrieking Shack was cold according to Sirius and Ukitake during the long nights. He personally couldn't tell. He had no sense for cold. Everything was either boiling hot or comfortable.

He walked into the dilapidated house, knowing that the two men would be huddled together up in what used to be the master bedroom over a game of cards. Where they'd gotten the cards from was a mystery but Ukitake had enjoyed learning some of the games Sirius knew and the criminal was equally interested in the ones the taicho had learned in Soul Society.

Black was tolerable. Did he smell? Oh yes, quite horridly.

But he was nice enough and had a sense of humour that could even make the young taicho break out into a grin on occasion.

He had dreams of taking Potter away from his Aunt and Uncle and living together with him in his old family home somewhere off in London. Truthfully, Hitsugaya didn't care all that much about what happened to Potter. But…it was still nice to know that someone was trying to look out for him.

If they ever got past the whole 'You sold out my parents to their murderer' thing they'd make quite a pair.

The white haired boy had spent many nights hearing tales of Black's escapades with James Potter. They frankly reminded him a bit of Ikkaku and Yumichika in a way.

There had been a group of them. And surprisingly that group had included Remus Lupin. It made sense; they were roughly the same age so it was only logical to think they would have attended Hogwarts at the same time. But it was…interesting to say the least, how Lupin was trying to look out for his friend's son even if said son had no idea.

There were many people shielding Harry from the world and yet he was ignorant to a vast majority of them. Maybe with age he'd learn to step out from behind them and stand alone for once.

It was sad though, in a way. The group was no longer friends. Their bonds had been eroded until they were just chains of hatred binding them together. The taicho had to wonder what James Potter would think if he could see his friends now…or at least the shambles that remained.

He called up to them to announce his arrival even though Ukitake would have already felt his approach. Sirius called back telling him to hurry and the boy considered slowing down before picking up his pace and climbing the stairs.

The convict smiled when he came into view, "Merry Christmas."

"Actually, I believe Christmas is tomorrow."

"A few hours difference."

"Hn."

Ukitake smiled as he leaned back in his chair, "Did you make those gifts for all of your friends?"

The taicho nodded as he sat himself on the windowsill, "I made them all yesterday evening while the others were at dinner."

The older Shinigami nodded as he let loose a sneeze into the crook of his elbow.

Hitsugaya sighed, "This weather doesn't suit you."

"I'm fine," the man assured as he cleared his throat "Besides, I'll be leaving in a few days."

Sirius seemed to deflate at that but it was understandable really. Who wanted to stay hidden away all day without someone to talk to?

The white haired student teen glanced over at him, "Don't worry. If all goes according to plan you'll be out of here soon enough."

The man nodded as he slouched down in his seat, "So how's Harry doing?"

"Alright. He's going to be taking private lessons from Professor Lupin after the holidays."

"For what?"

"He's going to be learning how to repel the Dementors."

Ukitake perked at that, "You should join in Toshiro! It would be a great opportunity."

The taicho frowned, "I already declined. I'm not going to learn how to deal with them with magic. It's important to be able to defeat them on my own. I already know how to kill them, it's just the fact that I haven't worked out how to free the souls they've absorbed yet."

"Ah, but don't forget how horribly they effect you."

Hitsugaya scowled at the man's words. For some reason the older taicho had a far easier time dealing with them then he did. Whether it was because of their different power levels or maybe even age Toshiro still had a harder time withstanding the effects.

That wasn't to say that he hadn't improved! Far from it, his time was up to ten minutes; but that didn't mean it wasn't difficult and the after effects still wore on him a few hours after the encounter.

Black broke the silence that had descended upon them with the clearing of his throat. Hitsugaya looked up to meet his eyes realizing right away that the man wanted something from him.

"I was wondering…if I could ask you a favour."

The boy frowned for a moment. There had been several occasions in his life when he'd heard that phrase. None had ended well.

"I can't…promise you anything but I'll hear you out," he said almost hesitantly.

"I was wondering if you could bring Harry's Christmas gift over to the castle for me."

Well, that wasn't so bad.

He nodded, "I'll take it over for you when I leave."

The fugitive smiled as he dropped from his chair and pulled a package out from under the bed. "I had Ukitake pick it up for me the other day. To think, I can finally give my Godson another Christmas gift! Well, it's the same thing I got him last time…but much nicer," the man continued to ramble as he set the gift carefully on the bed as if afraid it would break.

Hitsugaya gazed at it curiously, "What is it?"

Sirius smiled, "The best broom money can buy."

He nodded; it was the perfect gift for Potter and would most definitely aid in his Quidditch obsession. There was also the small fact that the teen's broom had been destroyed in the last match.

Ukitake smiled, "He'll love it." He turned to look at Toshiro. "I think you should get going. It's already late."

The younger taicho nodded and took the gift carefully in his arms as it was handed to him by Black.

"Be careful with it," the man whispered quietly as if all his hopes were residing on the gift. And maybe they were. Because really, it wasn't just a broom. It was his love, his way of honouring a family legacy. It was his regrets and his sorrow. His shame. All rolled into one tidy package.

The parcel suddenly seemed to weight a lot more and it continued to weigh down his arms as he made the trek back up to the castle.

The sleeping Knight in the portrait gave him no trouble. It was either intimidation or respect. He hadn't decided on which.

When he finally made it into the overly warm common room the fire was still crackling in the hearth, casting long shadows that seemed to reach out for him.

The Shinigami gently set the broom under the Christmas tree that had been erected in the corner of the room before stepping back to admire the small balls of glowing light that adorned the branches. It was rather beautiful; the way the lights reflected onto the ceiling and how they shone back from the glass of the windows.

Christmas was…a lovely season.

---

"TOSHIRO! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

A teal eye slid open to find a rather over excited looking Ron staring down at him wearing a knit sweater with a large 'R' stitched into the front.

The taicho sat up as Neville wished him a Merry Christmas from across the room.

Gifts had been set on the edge of each bed and it seemed everyone was up and ripping open anything that they could get their hands on.

He was surprised to notice several set at the foot of his bed and reached over to pick one up that was apparently from Neville.

The boy carefully pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a framed photo of him along with his friend out in the court yard that for the life of him couldn't remember being taken.

The frame was what appeared to be ornate silver with a spiralling pattern carved into it. Hitsugaya gave a small smile as he set it carefully aside and picking up the next package. This one was rather heavy and seeing as it was from Hermione he knew just what it would be. Once the paper was removed a brand new copy of Hogwarts a history came into view and he put it away so that he could flip through it later.

He opened the next gift that was from Luna and pulled out what appeared to a dream catcher. It was…surprisingly normal considering who it was from.

Ron's gift consisted of a water bottle and the taicho couldn't help but glance over in the redhead's direction. The freckle faced teen smiled sheepishly, "It's uh…charmed so that whatever you put in it will never get warm."

The taicho nodded realizing that it was by far the most practical gift he'd received so far.

Harry had given him…a bottle of vitamins?

He turned along with Neville who'd come to sit on the floor at the foot of his bed to stare at the Boy Who Lived questioningly.

"Uh…well you see, I wasn't sure…what to get you. And uh…well everyone needs vitamins…right?"

The room was silent for a moment before Ron burst into laughter. Neville turned to look at the Shinigami who'd begun to read the bottle, "Vitamins are…nice."

"Hn. A full daily dose of calcium…"

---

It had taken about a half hour for everyone to settle down enough to get dressed and they'd met Hermione in the common room shortly after.

Hitsugaya would glance over at the awaiting gift under the tree every once and a while as Neville sat and examined his new miniature willow tree made from ice, leaves, vines, grooves in the bark and all.

It had taken the taicho a while to make but it had turned out quite well and with the charm he'd had Lupin place on it, the little tree would never melt.

He'd made similar gifts from everyone else of course. He'd given Harry a snitch, Ron a Knight from the game of chess, Hermione a small Christmas tree and Luna a mirror.

He'd had to make the ice especially smooth for the blonde's gift so that it would reflect properly but he'd enjoyed carving a pattern of ivy and blossoms into the frame and handle.

The taicho sighed as he watched Ran settle down on a throw pillow and crossed one leg over the other as he leaned into the arm of his chair. Any time now…

"Hey Harry! Look at this!"

The rest of the group turned to find Ron hunched over at the base of the tree before he stood, revealing the large, neatly wrapped gift.

The redhead set it down on a table as everyone-minus Toshiro-crowded around to get a better look.

"Well open it," the youngest Weasley son said eagerly.

The glasses wearing teen wasted no time in ripping open the paper and pulling out the truly magnificent broom.

The taicho sighed at the look of pure glee and excitement…awe even that spread across the young face.

If only Sirius Black could see that look. See how the boy had embraced the gift ladened with unuttered apologies and regrets. See how he'd finally, after years of waiting, made his Godson happy.

* * *

**Bonus*:**

Matsumoto sighed as she drummed her fingers against the wood of her desk.

She couldn't help but feel a little miffed that Ukitake had been sent to see her taicho instead of her.

When word of the mission had traveled through the grape vine she'd jumped at the chance to go to Europe and check on Shiro-chan. Damn that Ukitake and his smile! There were times when even her…well…couldn't compete with that man.

And it wasn't like the old man didn't favour his favourite student. Sure, maybe it wasn't exactly _obvious _but she could see it!

It had been boring without Hitsugaya there to wreak havoc and chaos…well, alright-it had been boring without him to yell at _her_ for wreaking havoc and chaos.

She'd been stuck taking care of most of the paperwork and the third seat hadn't been doing so well as of late. Taicho was right about them going through them so quickly. She huffed as she pulled another form from the large pile to her right and found it to be a form requesting medical leave for…the third seat.

Oh. Well, it looked like the fourth seat would be getting a temporary promotion. She'd have to be careful this time though. There were already rumours running around that the position was cursed. Things had been so much simpler with her taicho there.

But, if all went according to plan she'd be seeing the little taicho soon. _Very soon_. If only to gloat.

Everything had been set in motion.

A flash of light caught her eye from outside the window and the woman smiled. All the props were in place and Byakuya was on the move.

The bet was as good as won.

* * *

*From now on every two chapters or so there will be a little bonus at the end of Matsumoto's adventures. Okay? Okay.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So…I'm not sure what to watch now. Gundam 00 finished up this week…and I feel lost! God, it's over…it was an amazing ending though! I cried. Well, more so in the second last episode but during the epilogue I cried. But…I have nothing to really look forward to anymore. I haven't felt this way since Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou ended. *Sigh* It's depressing. I've spent the past year watching Gundam and now…plus it always makes me sad to see the epilogue and how their lives have continued on…or not. _I'll miss you Gundam!_ Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	29. The Muffin Man

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. Well, thanks to all those who reviewed! They really do make my day.

**OVER 1000 REVIEWS! I'm at a loss for words…except for two: _Thank you_**

**** In case some of you don't know yet, the new ****Bleach movie: Fade to Black****, is out subbed now. ****

_

* * *

__If only Sirius Black could see that look. See how the boy had embraced the gift __ladened __with unuttered apologies and regrets. See how he'd finally, after years of waiting, made his Godson happy. _

* * *

Time skips ahoy! A bit of a filler chapter really. Lots of time skips. We need to get into April so the action can start!

* * *

"Harry, we have absolutely no idea where this came from."

Hitsugaya looked up to find Hermione frowning down at the broom that both boys were still examining.

"For all we know it could be tampered with. I mean, who would send you something like this?"

The taicho resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"It could be from Sirius Black!"

Ron quirked an eyebrow, "You're saying…that Sirius Black just bought the most expensive broom in all of existence…to kill Harry."

The witch huffed, "Don't look at me like I'm crazy Ron. We all know that he's after Harry."

"Oh come off it 'Mione! You're just being stupid now."

"Oh, I'm being stupid am I?!"

The Shinigami slammed his head against the back of his chair before sliding up onto the arm and twisting off, "I'm going for a walk."

Neville looked up at him with a face that clearly said 'Don't leave me!'

"Neville's coming too."

His friend looked extremely relieved as he clambered to his feet before carefully setting the ice tree he'd still been holding on the table, "We'll just go grab our cloaks— or uh, I will at least."

The three friends were too engrossed in their escalating argument to really take notice of their speedy departure.

Neville dashed up the stairs and reappeared with his cloak thrown over his arm and they both climbed out of the portrait hole just as the real screaming started.

The taller of the two coughed, "So uh…that was interesting."

"Interesting…," Toshiro nodded.

* * *

New Years.

Unlike Christmas, the young taicho really understood New Years. Even if the date was a tad different than what was normally celebrated in Soul Society the entire event was more or less the same thing.

Gryffindors filled the common room as many of them sucked down Butterbeers that the Weasley twins had somehow managed to sneak in.

He'd tried one of the drinks only to discover it was extremely sweet and had a rather warming effect.

He'd hated it.

Everyone had looked at him as if he'd grown a second head when he'd set the bottle back down on the table clearly refusing to pick it up again. Neville had caught on rather quickly but Ron continued to try and 'educate' him on the _wonder_ that was Butterbeer.

"Look, for the last time Ron, I just don't like it. Now sit down and shut up."

The redhead huffed as he plopped himself down onto the couch next to Harry.

Hermione was off somewhere else- most likely the library- because apparently she had yet to be forgiven.

A few nights before Professor McGonagall had confiscated Harry's new broom on the grounds that it could have been jinxed by Black. The taicho was rather displeased with the fact that the gift Sirius had put so much care into was being tampered with.

But, really, the witch was right in her thoughts more or less. After all, the broom really was from Black. The only point she had wrong was the part about him using it to kill Harry.

Then again, that might have been the most important one.

"So," the boy who lived started "Professor Lupin is going to start with my lessons soon. Are you still coming?"

The taicho nodded as he looked back to the book in his lap, "I suppose so."

"Well you don't seem too pleased about it."

"Hn."

"He said we'd start them the first evening after classes were back in session. So be ready for then alright?"

"I'll be ready," the taicho said dismissively as he flipped the page.

* * *

It was the final night of the break and Toshiro could yet again be found picking the lock on the shop's door and slipping out into the main street of Hogsmead.

When he arrived at the Shrieking Shack he was surprised to find Ukitake waiting on the doorstep with the large black dog he'd grown accustomed to at his side.

The Shinigami frowned, "You're leaving right now?"

The man smiled tiredly, "I'm afraid so. It's about time I got back."

Hitsugaya nodded as he wandered down the path, "I trust you'll relay all the necessary information?"

"Of course."

"And check on Matsumoto would you? I don't know what she's up to but it doesn't bode well for Kuchiki."

"Yes…about that."

The younger taicho looked over sharply, "What?"

"Well, there's been some…_things_ happening."

Toshiro turned to Sirius, "Could you excuse us for a moment?"

The man, turned dog, gave a bark before bounding down the path and into the tree line.

"What's been happening?"

"There have been several incidents around the tenth division, and even a few in the sixth."

The boy huffed, his breath coming in wisps of white, "Incidents involving _what_?"

Ukitake laughed nervously, "Abarai-kun intercepted some- or maybe I should say fell victim to— but, hair dye, ink spills…traps of every sort imaginable. Some quite clever really," the man mused

"There was something involving fake missions, forged paperwork has just been discovered. It seems hundreds of t-shirts were ordered with some...," he coughed "Inappropriate things, printed on them."

"Inappropriate."

Ukitake nodded, "Yes, some…questionable comments about Byakuya….some innuendoes about him as well. Not all unflattering though…actually many are quite funny. Abarai-kun has taken to wearing one under his uniform."

If Abarai was wearing them…poor Kuchiki. A simple muffin basket wouldn't cut it anymore. Damn. Maybe _a lot _of muffins…and few books. But how many muffins could even fit in the average basket? Surely quite a few.

Or maybe a bonsai tree would be appropriate. Kuchiki liked bonsai trees and they were supposedly calming. Calming was good.

"Could you check in on her please?"

Ukitake nodded, "Of course. I'm sure she's just acting out for one reason or another."

"Yes," Toshiro muttered under his breathe. "Just make sure she doesn't drive him into the mad house."

The older taicho placed a warm hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about that. Just take care of yourself."

He began down the path the path and out to the fence that bordered the property, "Check in with us when you can," he called over the cold winds. "And Byakuya will be fine. It will take more than Matsumoto to get to him."

As Ukitake disappeared into the night and out to the edges of Hogsmead the now lone Shinigami sighed, "But you don't know Matsumoto."

---

Once Ukitake had gone the situation in the Shrieking Shack had turned…rather awkward to say the least.

Black was moping about on the tattered bed while Hitsugaya had taken up residence in one of the old chairs.

"You need to get me into Hogwarts," the criminal started quietly. "I need to find Peter."

"If anything Peter's long gone. And if not, the grounds are huge. He could be anywhere."

The man huffed, "He's somewhere where he can be comfortable."

"Hn. That doesn't exactly narrow down our options much. The forest is clearly out…but the castle itself is large…" Suddenly an idea dawned on the small taicho, "Actually, give me a few weeks. Two months at the most. I'll get you in then."

Sirius looked up, "What do you have planned?"

"You'll see. But I assure you, you'll find that rat."

---

Harry sighed as he sat up in bed and the moon light shone in through the window pane. It was well past midnight and yet sleep continued to elude him.

Green eyes glanced about the room stopping when he noticed one bed was empty; Toshiro's bed.

The boy frowned.

Maybe he was down in the common room? It wasn't out of the ordinary to find the transfer asleep in his favoured chair by the window if he found the room to be too warm for his liking.

The teen pulled on his glasses and threw back the covers. It would be best if Hitsugaya slept in his actual bed for the night or his neck would be horrible in the morning.

He gave a great yawn as he descended the stairs and walked out into the…_empty_ common room.

"Huh…where could he be?" Harry muttered to himself as he sat down in one of the cushy chairs by the embers of the fire.

He gave another yawn but it was cut short as the portrait hole flung open and Toshiro clambered through, shaking snow from his boots as he did.

The dead boy looked up rather curiously, "What are you doing up?"

Harry frowned, "I couldn't sleep. I think the better question is what are_ you _doing up?"

"I just went for a walk."

"In the middle of the night?" he asked disbelievingly.

The boy shrugged as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and sat down in his seat by the window.

"Does it have something to do with Dumbledore?"

"I just went for a walk on the grounds."

The Boy Who Lived scowled, rather put off with the whole situation, "A walk?! At midnight? I doubt it. What's really going on?"

Hitsugaya glared as he stood gracefully, "I think you'll find that it's none of your business. Good night Potter."

Said boy stood to follow, "How didn't you get caught?"

"It's rather easy if you don't go parading around like a heard of elephants actually. You should try it."

And with that the boy climbed the stairs and disappeared off into the shadows.

"What are you up to?" Harry grumbled as he sat back down.

Hitsugaya was his friend. They weren't as close as he was with Ron and Hermione or like Toshiro was with Neville and Luna but they stood each other's company. And a certain bond of delicate trust had slowly unfurled between them.

But trust was something easily broken. Dumbledore's words of warning rang through his head as he stared off into the stairwell long after Hitsugaya was gone and probably even asleep. Just what was he doing out at this time of night?

And he realized then that maybe that delicate bond of trust was just a little more fragile than he'd thought.

* * *

Toshiro sighed as he tried not to let his eyes slip closed. Divination. Whoever decided that students' time would be best spent cooped up in a tiny room with odd smelling incense and a rather insane woman preaching about opening their minds and seeing beyond the vale must have been a few soldiers short of a platoon.

His hand twitched as Neville ran his finger over one of the lines of his skin.

"Okay so your fate line is here," he muttered and once again traced the line with his finger tip, "Which means you're in control of your life. Your life line is deep…so…you have a lot of…vitality?"

The Shinigami shrugged; he hadn't bothered to read the book. Although, if the teacher asked he could give a fully formed detailed answer none the less.

"Well, you'll live for a long time…which we've already figured out. Trials…you work hard…and this is crap."

"Finally," the taicho grumbled as he withdrew his hand "I was beginning to wonder just how long you were going to put up with this farce."

Neville sighed, "Yeah well, it might be stupid but we still have to write an exam at the end of the year."

"True," the white haired boy conceded "But, it should be simple enough. And you forget that I won't be attending Hogwarts next year. Unlike you, these grades will have no effect on my education."

The other boy gave him a half hearted glare as he shut his text book and slipped it into his bag, "Way to rub it in."

"Hn. Yes, I take joy in your misery."

"You sadist."

"Call me what you like."

"Fine, I will."

* * *

As the days past and the January bled into February Hitsugaya began to notice…a change.

Hermione and Ron were still at odds because of Scabbers and the Firebolt incident, but that wasn't anything new. It was Harry that had him thinking.

He'd felt the weight of the teen's gaze as he moved about his classes and when he was sitting in the Great Hall. He'd been tense and paranoid. It had gotten to a point where if the Shinigami made any sudden movement those green eyes would be on him in an instant.

Scrutinizing, questioning, mistrusting.

He'd never called Potter a friend like he did Neville but he'd thought a certain understanding had been formed between them. Yet, since that night in the common room that understanding had degraded to nothing.

The taicho had attended a few of the boy's lessons with Lupin but it seemed as if Potter simply couldn't concentrate with him in the room so in the end he'd withdrawn of his own accord. If either Hermione or Ron had noticed anything they were too caught up in their own arguments to mention it.

Even their relationship with Luna had grown slightly forced. It wasn't that they were angry with each other; actually he doubted the blonde was capable of anger…but she seemed distant.

More so than usual.

Maybe it was because of the fact that they had no classes together because of the year difference. Or maybe it was because Hitsugaya was no longer considered the Ravenclaw turned Gryffindor. He was just a Gryffindor now.

"Maybe it's just you," Neville suggested when Toshiro had brought up his thoughts on the matter towards the end of February. "I mean, have you made any real attempt to connect with her?"

The Shinigami glared, "I'm not exactly experienced when it comes to dealing with friends."

His friend nodded, "Well, in a friendship sometimes you have to make an effort. It's not always easy; sometimes you need to work for it in order to make it work."

"So…we should sit with her at dinner?"

"Or lunch. And who said anything about 'we'?"

Toshiro frowned, "You're not going to sit with us?"

Neville shrugged, "_I'm_ not the one that apparently misses her."

The boy rolled his eyes, "I don't _miss_ her. I just haven't had the chance to thank her for her gift."

"Are you_ sure_ that's the only reason?" the taller asked in a mocking tone.

The taicho frowned for a moment, "Yes, I'm positive."

Neville sighed, "That just went right over your head."

Toshiro gazed up at him curiously, "What?"

"Never mind."

* * *

It was just the beginning of April when it seemed that the long standing feud between Hermione and Ron was finally at a close.

McGonagall had come by the common room that evening and returned the Firebolt claiming that there was nothing wrong with the broom. To Toshiro's eye it seemed to look exactly as it had when Harry had handed over the gift to the Professor and apparently the boys agreed, as did the rest of the Gryffindors who were crowed around.

The witch seemed rather downcast as she sat beside the taicho in his regular spot by the window. It was hot enough in that God forsaken room without everyone squeezed around Harry breathing all over each other.

It seemed Ron had made another tactless comment.

One day he'd learn.

"I was just worried," Hermione sniffed as she tried to remain calm.

Hitsugaya nodded, "I'm sure that they'll understand."

"Oh, you don't know them like I do! They'll Lord it over me for years. Or at least Ron will."

The taicho glanced over at the excited redhead, "Yes, well that may be true but if you thought it was the right thing to do I don't see the problem. You did what you thought was right and everything was fine in the end. You should be celebrating over there with them."

She glanced over at him, "And what about you? Why aren't you over there as well?"

The Shinigami rolled his eyes, "As if I'd lower myself to their level. Where I come from one doesn't make a fuss about the tool with which you use to clean the floors of dirt and dust."

Hermione laughed at that. "I guess it must seem odd to you."

"You could say that."

"So how do you get around? Do you have cars or something?"

Toshiro shook his head, "No, we walk everywhere more or less. It's all on foot. There are some bicycles but you'll find they're far and few between."

She quirked an eyebrow, "So…you don't have much technology then?"

"Ah well," he started "It all depends on where you live. Some parts don't have electricity but in some of the…areas you have phones. But even though we have electricity we tend to use candles and torches instead of lights. It's a rather ragtag system I suppose but it gets us by."

She looked interested now; all thoughts of the Firebolt forgotten for the moment, "What about schooling and hospitals? Is there a government?"

The taicho sighed, realizing what he'd just gotten himself into and he suddenly wished Neville hadn't gone to bed early.

"We only have one school and not many people attend. You'll find most people don't have any education at all. A government…yes. And we have healers."

The bushy haired teen nodded as she leaned forward in her seat as if trying to get closer to the answers she knew to be hidden away in his mind, "What type of government? Is it a democracy or…a monarchy?"

The boy frowned, "I'm afraid it isn't really all that comparable to the governments here. We have one leader but he's supported by twelve others below him. But we also have a King and there are some nobles. It's all based around the military though…but I suppose in a way it combines several of your types of governments."

"It sounds fascinating."

Hitsugaya nodded, "It's rather interesting in its own way."

They fell silent allowing the sounds of the growing crowd around Harry to overtake them.

"Hey Hitsugaya," Ron suddenly called from within the din. "Why don't you take a ride on it? You're always looking up at the sky. How about being_ in_ it?"

The taicho shook his head, "I'm afraid I much prefer the stability of the ground."

A lie.

He envied the birds in indescribable ways. Ways that could make his chest ache and his hands clench until he knuckles were burning white. It left a bitter taste on his tongue. To be a part of the sky; that was something he longed for. And he lived for those moments when he could soar through the air by Hyorinmaru's power. By _his_ power. It pained him to think of being forever grounded.

Stranded on the earth when there was a whole other world just above it; hidden away among the clouds. He couldn't help but wish for the school year to end. Ten months was far too long to be stuck on the ground.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Have any of you seen the new Inuyasha series? Nice opening and ending. No change what so ever though otherwise. Well, okay the art is better than it was at the end of the first series. It's clean again because we all know it started to tank after a while. I'm just curious to see what they do with it though I don't really expect much. The new Fade to Black movie is out as I said before. It was really good. The art was amazingly beautiful as always (compared to the anime it's always spectacular), the music was gorgeous and the plot was cool enough. I of course cried at the end as always. One thing about the Bleach movies is…I love the lighting. That might sound weird but I love the way they make the lighting appear in all the movies. It's just flawlessly beautiful and they use it to cast lines and shadows on the faces in ways other anime don't bother with. It just makes my day to see. If any of you are interested in the new Inuyasha show and can't find the episodes I can send you the link to the first episode. That's all that's been released so far. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	30. Best Laid Plans

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really does make my day to read them all. So, this story is winding down! Okay, actually the action is coming but you know what I mean. I'd say…five more chapters, maybe six. But who knows?

* * *

_He couldn't help but wish for the school year to end. Ten months was far too long to be stuck on the ground. _

"_Are you sure?" _

"_Yes, I'm sure." _

* * *

Toshiro grumbled as he once again rifled through Potter's trunk only to find the map gone.

For the past while the boy had been keeping it on his person at all times. And, seeing as the taicho didn't want to raise any suspicions he couldn't exactly walk up and _ask_ for the damn thing.

He slammed the trunk shut with a thump before stalking out of the room and down into the common area. For two weeks he'd been trying to get the map so that he could locate Pettigrew and it was almost as if Potter was holding onto it just to spite him. Not to mention the fact that Black had been whining constantly since Ukitake had returned to Soul Society. _Apparently_ he was lonely. And the icing on the cake was the fact that spring had arrived at Hogwarts bringing with it the muggy, humid weather and all.

The rain he could live with, but the humidity would surely kill him. There was nothing he hated more than the sweat inducing, frizz causing; spring air. Neville on the other hand, loved it. The boy had dragged the Shinigami around the school grounds for hours after class to show him all of the flowers that were blooming along the edge of the forest.

Hitsugaya slipped through the portrait hole resisting the urge to slam it shut behind him and began making his way down to the Great Hall for lunch. There was no way in hell he was going to miss it seeing as it had somehow turned into the only real meal he ate everyday.

Tea was his traditional breakfast, and the food served at dinner was always far too heavy for his tastes, but occasionally a healthy dessert was served- Tuesdays were fruit salad night- and he'd just eat that instead. But alas, it was Friday which meant that some sort of teeth rotting, heart attack inducing slop would be served. The taicho had dealt with far too many souls that had died from being _grossly_ over weight to fall into the trap of eating unhealthy food. There was also the fact that he had sensitive teeth…but that was beside the point.

He walked into the hall, ignoring a girl who mentioned the sudden drop in temperature. Neville apparently felt him coming before he saw him because he suddenly looked up from his plate and waved him over.

The taller teen was sitting with Hermione and Ron. They'd come to an agreement that neither would ever mention the Firebolt incident again or the whole Scabbers problem. He walked-not _stomped_-towards his friend ignoring the questioning glance as he sat down and grabbed a slice of watermelon from a platter.

"Something the matter?" Hermione asked from behind her teacup.

The taicho grunted, "No."

"The ice that's threatening to form says otherwise."

Teal eyes met hers before she shrugged and went back to her lunch.

"So where's Harry?" Neville asked breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

"I have no idea," the witch said before continuing, "But am I the only one who's noticed what a bad mood he's been in?"

They all turned to stare pointedly at Ron.

"What are you all looking at me for?!"

"You're his best friend," The shinigami said "You're supposed to know…I believe it's practically a law."

Neville nodded, "Take it from the guy who said he's never had a best friend before."

The taicho shot him a glare as he bit into his watermelon.

"Either way, you really should ask him once you see him again," Hermione huffed.

"I think he's at Quidditch practice. Oliver's been going crazy now that Harry's got his Firebolt and with the game tomorrow he's just gone bonkers according to Fred and George."

"Well talk to him tonight," she said as she stood "We'd better hurry if we want to get to class on time."

The rest of the group went to follow, Toshiro holding back for a moment as he stared down at his half eaten slice of watermelon resting on his plate. Neville sighed before he grabbed a napkin and wrapped two more pieces in it, "You can eat them on the way down to Care of Magical Creatures. You need to work on the whole temperature thing by the way; I'm tired of freezing my ass off every time you don't get to finish your fruit."

Hitsugaya glared at his friend's back, "That is completely absurd."

Neville glanced back, "If you want the watermelon stop arguing and hurry up."

The taicho was tempted to remain where he was but growled before he followed after the teen, "Fine."

After all, he couldn't be late-but that watermelon was really good.

---

Toshiro glared as Neville snickered at the drenched taicho, "I don't know how you managed that."

Hermione coughed to mask her own laughter, "Well, in all fairness he _was_ trying to help _you_."

Hagrid had been teaching a lesson on merpeople that day and Neville had somehow fallen into the lake. Hitsugaya, being the nice person he was, had taken pity on his friend and gone to help. Only to wind up in a tussle with a rather possessive mermaid who had deemed his hair as hers.

There'd been hissing, scratching, punching, and freezing before Hagrid had had to pull them apart. The taicho was now banned from getting within ten meters of the water, not that he was broken hearted over the arrangement.

"Why don't you come with me Toshiro?" the Professor asked as he began to walk towards his cabin. "We'll have some tea and you can dry off by the fire."

The Shinigami quirked an eyebrow; fire? When it must have been twenty degrees out?

Uh…no.

But he wasn't given the opportunity to voice his discontent with the idea before he was being tugged along towards the door. The half giant called over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to join them as he tugged the boy up the stairs. Hitsugaya looked to find Neville already hurrying up the hill towards the castle cursing his friend to the core.

In a few moments they were all gathered around the fire, Toshiro pulling off his cloak and loosening his tie as he tried in vane to stay cool. A teacup the size of a bucket was soon placed in front of him much to his dismay.

Hermione thanked the man as she took a sip of her own, "So, how have you been? I'm afraid we haven't been able to come down in a while."

Toshiro almost upset his tea-bucket when Hagrid suddenly burst into sobs. The rest of the group looked equally startled but as the man began to blubber on about something to do with a git, a buck, and something about a trial it seemed he was the only one still sitting in the dark. Maybe it was a cultural thing.

As Hagrid began to quiet down with the help of Hermione's comforting it became clear that the trial for Buckbeak hadn't gone very well. Toshiro sighed as he set down his tea and leaned back in his chair. He tried to block out the sounds of crying and instead focused on a rather annoying tapping, almost scratching sound. It was a moment before a pair of teal eyes peeled open to stare at the ceiling covered in old crockery.

The taicho stood, setting aside his cloak and bucket as he focused his attention on where he estimated the sound to be coming from.

Ron looked over at him curiously as he climbed onto the chair he'd been sitting on and began to reach for one of the pots, "What are you doing?"

Hitsugaya ignored him and everyone's stares as he gave a small leap and latched onto the pot. He was rather perturbed when he simply hung in the air for a moment before he fell gracefully to the floor, taking the cookware with him.

"Uh, Toshiro," Harry started unsurely. "What are you doing?"

A small smile betrayed the glee-yes _glee_- that the Shinigami felt flood through him as he wrapped his cold hand tightly around the creature's neck almost longing to hear a small snap.

Ron gave a surprised yelp as he spotted what was in the pot, "Scabbers!"

Toshiro barely held back an enraged growl as the rat was suddenly wrenched from his grasp by the Weasley, leaving angry red marks across his pale skin.

"Ron, be careful," Hermione yelled when she noticed the now bleeding cuts. "Lord knows where he's been this entire time and what he's gotten into!"

"Its fine," the white haired boy grunted angrily as he wiped the blood onto the back of his pants. Sirius would be very pleased. The only problem would be getting the rat away from Weasley.

But…then again, maybe something could be worked out.

* * *

If he'd learned anything in his decades of service to Soul Society, it was that sometimes, you had to bide your time. And so, he did just that.

With the reappearance of Scabbers Ron was in a wonderful mood which seemed to spread to Harry and soon enough the entire group was in high spirits on the day of the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw.

He'd decided to sit with Luna for the match along with Neville who seemed a little nervous considering that they were apparently 'fraternizing with the enemy'- something Toshiro had always frowned upon, but when it came to sport, he really didn't care either way.

He'd sooner cheer for Ravenclaw than he would Gryffindor anyway. At least _their_ common room was a normal temperature.

He could feel Hyorinmaru strait and unbendable against his back, hidden away behind the dark fabric of his jacket as the players took off, because he'd learned his lesson, oh yes he'd learned.

While it was impossible to carry around his Zanpakuto to classes it was easily concealed in the many different coats that Matsumoto had supplied him with. When he saw the woman again he'd be sure to treat her to sake.

The game was quickly losing Hitsugaya's interest until he instead began chatting with Luna. Truth be told she did most of the talking as he sat there and nodded and or hn'd at the appropriate time but it was the closest to chatting he'd probably ever come.

At one point during the game he was pulled out of his thoughts wondering curiously as to why Malfoy was hurrying across the playing field, buffoons in tow, swathed in black. For a moment he considered intervening, but then again one broken back was enough for him, and Potter wasn't really the one in danger so in short; it wasn't his problem.

But, he'd bided his time for long enough and stood swiftly ignoring his friend's questioning gazes as he hurried out of the stands.

Toshiro!"

The taicho looked back to find Neville waving after him, "Where are you going?!"

"Back to the castle," he called before he began making his way up the lawns.

When he was sure that there was no one in sight he began to shunpo towards the castle doors and after a few moments he was already climbing the steps into the basement of Zonko's.

The girl who was taking inventory waved to him absentmindedly as he shut the trap door and climbed the next flight of stairs into the main show room before slipping through the front door.

The roads and paths were muddy; flecks of brown dotted his dark green jeans as a small voice in the back of his mind almost drowned out by the ever present buzzing told him that green was a very odd colour for jeans. But then again it did go well with the grey of his shirt…

With another shunpo he was at the door of the Shrieking Shack and he made sure to make some noise as he climbed the stairs towards Sirius's room. He'd made the mistake once of simply shunpoing straight into the room. It had taken Sirius a few days to fully recover.

The man greeted him rather sullenly from his place near the window, reading a book that the taicho had brought him a few days ago.

"I have good news."

The criminal dog-eared his page and shut the book with a snap, giving the Shinigami his full attention.

"I've found him."

Black stood, nearly knocking over his chair in the process, "Where is that scheming bastard?!"

Toshiro walked gracefully into the small room, taking up his normal place on the windowsill, "I'm afraid he slipped through my grasp, but he didn't get far," Hitsugaya smirked "He's back in Gryffindor tower."

"Take me to him."

Teal eyes snapped up, "I thought I'd bring him to you."

Black began to pace the room, "Can you get him away from that Weasley boy?"

"It might take a few more days but I can work it out."

The man hesitated, "I'd feel better if I was there to help."

"I can handle it," the taicho shot back.

"I've wait for this for years," Sirius yelled "I won't let him get away again!"

"If you've waited for years I doubt a few more days will make a significant difference."

Sirius glared for a moment looking ready to argue before he seemed to deflate, "Please, I'm tired of being cooped up in here. Can't you get me in?"

"Without being seen?" Toshiro drawled "I doubt it."

"Don't you know a disillusionment charm?"

"One that will get you past the wards that Dumbledore's set up and the Dementors? No."

"Well- well you should know something!" Black stammered "I mean for God's sake isn't this your sort of thing? Shouldn't you know some weird ritual?"

Toshiro glared at him flatly, "I'm dead, not a miracle worker."

Sirius shot him a dirty look, "Why don't I just come through the passage tonight. You can meet me and we'll head back to the tower from there together."

The white haired boy considered it for a moment. There were a million and one ways that it could go wrong. And with wizards, it almost always did.

"Fine," he sighed finally "But you follow my orders to the letter and you go as a dog. I'd rather have people think I'm bringing in a stray than a wanted criminal."

The man began to practically glow as he beamed, "Don't worry. Everything will go perfectly."

In hind sight, he should have realized that one should never trust the words of a criminal.

Ah, but that's the beauty of hind sight, its always twenty-twenty.

* * *

When he arrived back in the common room it was filled with bodies in the midst of celebrating Gryffindors' latest victory on the Quidditch pitch.

"Toshiro," Neville said edging through the crowd "Where've you been? I thought you said you were coming back to the castle?"

"I've been around."

His friend quirked an eyebrow questioningly but shrugged before passing him a cup of tea, "I figured you'd like this better than Butterbeer."

"Ah, and you were correct in that assumption," he mumbled as he took a sip.

It seemed as if the party was in full swing meaning that by the time everyone went to bed it would be quite late into the night, if not early morning.

"Are you alright?"

"Hm?" he looked to find Neville staring at him.

"You seem distracted."

"I'm just tired," he assured as he sat down in his newly vacated chair by the window.

"Well, you could always go to bed," the other suggested "You probably won't get much sleep with all the noise but it's worth a shot if you're really that tired."

The taicho graced his friend with a small smile, "Its fine."

It was beginning to settle in; the fact that if he and Sirius made a mistake tonight that there was a chance that the man would be executed and the Shinigami himself would probably swiftly follow. He in no way feared death. Hell, he _was_ death. But, there was a certain sinking feeling at the thought of Neville and Luna thinking he'd betrayed them. Truthfully, he didn't care what Dumbledore would think or what he would do because of his 'insubordination'. But, he'd come to…like Neville and Luna. Enjoy their company…he'd come accustomed to them.

Eventually, the room began to clear. Slowly but surely, though it did.

Hermione slumped down tiredly into the seat next to the white haired boy when there were only a few small groups of people left milling about, "Are you going to head up to bed?"

He nodded, "In a moment."

"By the way, have you seen my book? I'm sure I set it down around here somewhere…"

He shook his head, "No, I haven't. If I see it I'll be sure to bring it to you."

She nodded absentmindedly, "Thanks. Well," she said as she stood stiffly "I'm heading up to bed. I suggest you do too."

It was only a few more minutes before the final set of girls had gone up to bed and he waited another half hour to ensure that everyone would be asleep. Hyorinmaru was still pressed against his back hidden away behind his long, loose jacket so there was no need for him to go up to the dorm before he left the common room.

He glanced back for a moment wondering if he should go and grab the invisibility cloak but quickly decided against it. Potter had been sleeping with it under his pillow as of late along with the blasted map.

The taicho made sure to leave the portrait hole open a little, trying not to disturb the sleeping knight who'd replaced the Fat Lady for the time being. He could feel someone a few halls away but other then that it seemed as if most of the teachers on hall patrol were far away.

With a shunpo he was three halls away and with another two he was in front of the statue of the one eyed witch. He frowned for a moment before searching his pockets from his wand, finally finding it in a hidden pocket in the lining.

Sirius was waiting for him and true to his word was in his dog form with a small dagger clutched in his mouth like a stick oddly enough. It hadn't occurred to the taicho until then that the sound of his claws clicking against the stone floor might alert someone to their presence.

He grimaced, "I'm going to have to carry you."

If a dog could look amused, Sirius most definitely did.

"Wipe you feet off first at least."

Sirius dragged his paws along the stone making a choking sound that seemed somewhat like a laugh.

Hitsugaya stooped down as the dog placed his paws over his shoulders and he stood carefully locking his arms around Sirius, "Hold on."

There was a quiet yelp as he began to shunpo towards Gryffindor tower swiftly through the empty halls.

The portrait hole was still open making it was easy to slip through without waking the sleeping knight. Toshiro climbed the stairs silently with the dog still on his back, only setting him down once they were in the dorm room.

The taicho held a finger to his lips before he ducked towards Harry's bed to make sure that he was still fast asleep. He pulled off his coat once he'd assured that everyone was out for the count only to practically jump out of his skin when Ron gave an ungodly scream.

Toshiro whipped around only to find Sirius standing over the redhead with his knife in hand.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled as the sound of steel grinding against steel rang ominously through the room as he drew Hyorinmaru.

Sirius quickly ducked out of the room his eyes conveying an apology as he ran. Toshiro stared at the still swinging door before turning back to Ron who was still screaming at an octave that the taicho hadn't quite thought possible for a boy.

All of the teens were suddenly awake and surely the girls would be as well as the redhead began yelling about Sirius Black trying to kill him in his sleep.

The Shinigami hesitated for a moment before darting out of the room, running as quickly as he could to try and catch up with the fleeing convict, not daring to shunpo in case a teacher came to investigate.

His boots barely made a sound as he practically flew down the stairs towards the front door. When he hit the lawns he could clearly see the form of a dog bounding towards the Forbidden Forest and with a shunpo he was in front of the beast with Hyorinmaru pressed to its throat, "Tell me what the hell just happened." He ground out, frost creeping across the grass as his eyes glowed angrily.

The dog whined as it backed away from the blade before it began to shift back to Sirius's normal form.

Hitsugaya glared up at the man, "I thought we had a plan!"

Black winced, "I know! It's just- he was so close! I-I just-

"Let your excitement get the better of you," Hitsugaya finished for him.

The criminal nodded lamely, "I'm sorry if that makes a difference."

"Well it doesn't," Toshiro snarled as he sheathed his Zanpakuto "Now punch me."

The man balked, "_What?!_"

"If I come back after chasing you in perfect condition they're going to suspect something. Now hurry!"

Sirius hesitated, "But, I'll feel awful."

Toshiro glared, "Just do it. What kind of mass murderer are you?"

The man hesitated then drew back a fist and smashed it into the side of the boy's face.

Toshiro blinked away the stars as Black continued to fret, "Should I cut you with the knife?"

"I want to look roughed up not permanently disfigured," The Shinigami snapped as he spat the blood that flooded his mouth before he crouched to the ground and began to grind dirt into the fabric of his clothes and rub it along his skin.

"What are you doing now?!"

"I need to look like I've been in a fight you moron, now go before the Dementors get here!" Hitsugaya spat as he stood and began making his way back to the castle. "Next time you'd better listen or I swear I'll kill you myself!"

He turned to find the field empty except for himself and he sighed as he made the long trek back to the castle doors which were still thrown wide.

Against the brightly lit hall he could make out the figure of Dumbledore along with McGonagall appear looking rather dishevelled. As he climbed the stone steps he made sure to drag his feet and let the blood pouring from his split lip trickle down his neck and onto his shirt ignoring the hit to his pride.

"Mr. Hitsugaya," the Headmaster greeted grimly, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "Nothing that won't heal within a few days."

"Good," the man nodded "Now, I'm afraid you have some explaining to do pertaining to how exactly the criminal I commissioned you to guard the school against managed to not only get into the castle," he said flatly, "But up into your very room and attack a student before you intervened. I hope it's an interesting story."

The taicho spat the blood from his mouth, taking some joy in the fact that it almost hit the old man's foot, "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Have any of you heard of Naruto: Shounen Hen? It's exactly what they're doing with Dragonball Kai. The only real difference being that Naruto is still running. Well, Shippuuden but still. It's not out yet, I've been looking around but I can only find the OP. So basically, no filler and the art might be cleaner which would be really nice plus maybe it'll be in HD. I don't know how many of you watched Naruto, but the art was crap at times. First fight against Orochimaru anyone? Even during the fight in the Valley, Sasuke looked really weird sometimes and then two seconds later is was amazing. Naruto looked great most of the time though. I loved the look of it when he stood after getting knocked into the water and it all just poured off of his hair as he got up…I love the little things. Still, I won't watch it. Maybe I'll buy the uncut box sets though when or if they come out. I won't be paying for useless filler that way. Well, it's something to consider I suppose. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	31. Enough

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Well, thanks to all those who've reviewed, it really does make my day to read them all.

**Dec. 19/09 Something appears to be going on with the Alert system. I've reposted a couple times but I don't know if its working or not. SO! Yeah...**

* * *

_The taicho spat the blood from his mouth, taking some joy in the fact that it almost hit the old man's foot, "It would be my pleasure."_

_

* * *

_

Dumbledore stared down at him with a look akin to a mix of curiosity, amusement and a bit of anger.

McGonagall stepped forward, roughly grabbing his chin and tilting it up so she could get a better look, "Well, he got you good didn't he?"

Toshiro nodded grudgingly, "I'm afraid so."

"Well Albus, he clearly tried his best I don't think you should be angry with the boy," she said casting a stern glance in the headmaster's direction.

"I'm not angry Minerva, merely curious."

The taicho rolled his eyes as the Deputy let her hand fall away from his face.

"I must admit, even I myself am rather stumped as to how he could have slipped by you like that Mr. Hitsugaya."

"I'm afraid I was asleep at the time, there was no way for me to know if Black had entered the building or not. I think it would be more beneficial to check the wards, the Dementors, and that infuriating knight to see why _they_ didn't perform up to par."

Dumbledore's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline for a moment, but at least he was considering the suggestion-no matter how disrespectful he might have found it. Blue eyes stared off into the distance, "I take it he disappeared off into the forest?"

The Shinigami shrugged, "He managed to get a shot in and I was blinded for a moment, but that would make the most sense."

"Well," the headmaster said airily "It's easy to say that this wasn't entirely your fault, and I'll be looking into how he slipped by the wards," he cast an almost knowing gaze down at the white haired transfer.

"But for now, I suggest you head off to bed and in the morning you can get that bruise treated if you wish."

Hitsugaya was a little taken back for a moment but simply nodded before he began making his way back into the castle leaving the two Professors to stand in the night air.

"So Albus, what are you up to?" Minerva asked quietly.

"Ah," the man chuckled "I'm afraid I'm not even too sure at the moment. Hopefully we'll both find out soon enough."

"I'm surprised, though pleasantly so; you handled him quite well."

The old man nodded, "I'm afraid that I made a mistake in my treatment of the boy. Though I hope to make it up to him. Still, he can serve my plans for the now."

She frowned, "You mean the plan you don't know about yet?"

He smiled, "Exactly."

--

Hitsugaya huffed as he brushed the dirt from his clothes glaring down at the grass stains as if they were the soul cause of his grief. He was surprised to find the Fat Lady back at her post but she simply looked at him nervously as she swung open.

The common room was…absolutely empty.

The taicho carefully made his way up the stairs only to find the dorm deserted as well. It took a moment for him to deduce that all the students had been herded off to somewhere 'safe' while the school was in lock down. Apparently Dumbledore didn't really care where he slept for the night…or maybe the old man knew how he'd hate to be stuffed into a room with the entire school's population.

He couldn't say that he would miss the sound of Ron mumbling throughout the night or Neville's snores, but as he lay down in his bed, with Ran curled up near his pillow he couldn't help but find it maybe…a bit too quiet.

* * *

The morning came all too early with the arrival of Harry and Ron clearly come to get a change of clothes and their books. Toshiro decided not to even bother acknowledging their presence as he continued to lie comfortably in his cool bed. It was a bit of a chore to not let his eyes open when Ron-because it just _had_ to be him- came and stood over his bed, hovering in a way that many would have found quite disturbing if not down right creepy.

Hitsugaya was one of the rare few who didn't; he just found it exceedingly annoying. Oh, he could ignore the heavy breathing that was blowing disgusting warm air onto his face, hell he could even ignore the fact that it smelled foul, but what he couldn't ignore was the self-righteous glare he felt directed his way.

Teal eyes opened to stare up at the teen, "Can I assist you with anything or do you just enjoy staring at people while they sleep?"

"Where the bloody hell, were _you_ last night?"

"Considering the fact that you just woke me up in my bed, I would think it would be rather obvious," the Shinigami drawled as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"You know that's not what I mean," Ron growled as he smacked the bed. "I thought you were supposed to be watching out for Black but you just let him walk right in here!"

Hitsugaya simply stared up at the teen because in all actuality he had a _right_ to be angry with him. And the fact was Weasley should have been even angrier with him because in truth Black hadn't just _walked_ in, he'd been carried in by none other than the taicho himself.

"You're right," the white haired boy conceded as he stood fluidly, "I alone am at fault."

He bowed at the waist, the action clearly taking the teen by surprise.

"Uh wh-what?"

"I apologize for allowing him to hurt you. I have no excuse."

"It's-its fine. I'm not hurt so…just stand up," the boy stuttered.

Hitsugaya stood and began pulling on a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. Ron and Harry watched from their place on Dean's bed as he shoved his feet into his shoes and gave a nod before walking out the door.

"Well," Ron started "That was…"

"Odd," Harry finished for him.

"Yeah," the redhead huffed with a nod.

--

The next few days passed under the fog of a tense truce that had somehow formed between the boys without anyone's prompting.

Ron had become the new hot topic within the school which served as a bit of a distraction but when Harry decided that he had a 'problem' with someone there was little else that could occupy him.

The boy didn't say anything, or even act all that strange around the Shinigami, but the taicho could feel the weight of his gaze sometimes during class or during lunch as he spoke with Neville about the upcoming Hogsmead trip.

"I think I'll stay behind," Toshiro said quietly, taking a sip of his tea. "I've already been to the village I don't see why I should go again."

Frankly, he was getting sick of the _sight_ of it. There were only so many times you could pass by the same store fronts without getting bored with it all.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Neville protested. "You went last time."

"Exactly."

"But you enjoyed yourself last time."

Toshiro let his gaze slide over to his friend giving him a questioning look.

"Alright," the teen relented "I have no idea if you had any fun but you should still go. We can have lunch with Luna or something."

"We can have lunch with her here. In fact we do almost every other day."

Neville huffed as he put his face in his hands, "That's not the point!"

"Well than I don't think you have one," Hitsugaya said dismissively before setting down his tea and going back to reading a Potions paper that was due in a few days.

"You're impossible."

'hn' was the only response the boy received.

"So you're not coming to the village?" Hermione asked as she plopped down beside Neville and across from Toshiro.

"I don't believe so."

"Why not? You liked it last time didn't you? And you could have a nice lunch with Luna if you wanted," she added in a teasing tone.

"We've already been through this," Neville sighed before he grabbed some pumpkin juice.

"But wouldn't it be nice to change it up a bit?" Hermione questioned.

The Shinigami didn't dignify her with an answer as he stood and grabbed up his papers, "I think not. But it would be nice if we could get to Divinations without being late."

The two students sighed as they followed after the stubborn white haired boy though somewhat used to his attitude and only growing more so with every passing day.

The climb up to the tower was a rather silent one on the taicho's part as Hermione continued to pester him, trying to get him to accompany them on their trip into Hogsmead.

Truthfully, he had no qualms with going into the village but if he was supposed to be guarding Harry –a fact which he had yet to share with anyone- than it really all depended on if Potter was going to go as well. If not, then he'd have to stay back but if the teen snuck away-something which seemed rather likely- then he'd go. He was really impartial to the entire thing.

---

Divinations was well…Divinations. Was there really any other way to describe it? They'd moved on from palm reading- none too soon in many students' opinions-, to mapping stars.

It was actually tolerable considering how Toshiro enjoyed looking up at the sky; the only downfall was the fact that the maps were to be used to predict the future and the fact that the normal scientific method of star mapping was lost to the wizarding world.

"So Mars will be in the fifth house," Neville thought aloud as he squinted down at his paper. "And Saturn will be…"

He broke off into grumbles as he scratched something out with a heavy hand before dipping his quill into his ink jar and continuing.

"We're going to have so much homework," he whined to the taicho, who sat calmly beside him flipping idly through the text book,

"That may be so but at least unlike the other units this one is slightly interesting. Or should I say, not completely useless. Telling the future might be a hopeless cause but knowing the location of the stars can help determine which direction you're traveling in, something which I think is always useful."

Trelawney who'd been passing by cast the white haired boy a dark glare with her large bug like face before huffing and continuing on.

"I'm surprised you don't already know all the stars," Neville piped quietly "You're always staring out of the windows at night or just looking up."

"I already know most of them," Toshiro nodded as he flipped the page, "But every culture changes things slightly and it's always interesting to see the differences."

His friend pushed aside his work, "So you're really not going tomorrow?"

"Hn. It depends."

"On what?" Neville asked exasperatedly.

"The weather," the taicho lied. "I'm not going to go if the ground is covered in mud and the humidity is still hanging in the air. It all disgusts me."

--

As luck would have it, over night the air cooled and frost crept over the panes of the windows as snow began to fall from the darkened sky. The wind blew in strong gusts sending white swirling around the grounds. Winter's one last hurrah.

Toshiro stared out from his favourite chair down at the white covered tree tops wondering vaguely if it was some sort of sign that he was meant to go into the village.

"So?"

The taicho turned to find Neville wrapped up in a dark green scarf along with his winter cloak "Are you coming?"

He stared for a moment before finally nodding, "I think I shall."

His friend smiled as he stood and grabbed the sweater that he'd permanently left hanging on the back of his chair, clearly staking his claim. "I'll meet you down in the village."

If he was going to have to haul himself around all day he wasn't going to do it with the massive headache the Dementors would surely cause him as he passed them on his way through the gates.

Neville looked at him quizzically before nodding, "Well I promised Luna I'd meet her down there. So we'll see you in a bit?"

"Of course," he said and the teen gave him a small wave before disappearing through the portrait hole leaving him alone in the mostly empty common room.

A sudden idea struck the Shinigami as he vaguely recalled both Potter and Weasley leaving although not together-there was a chance that the taicho would bump into Potter on his way through the passage.

He slipped up the stairs and into the dorm that he shared with the other third years making sure to shut the door silently behind him. He crept towards Ron's bed, his footsteps falling noiselessly, not wanting to disturb its possible occupant.

The white haired boy spotted a small bump under the thick covers-a _rat_ sized bump.

Clenching a slender hand into a fist he lunged forwards, slamming it down on the bump only to hiss in pain.

He stepped back as he grasped at his now throbbing hand before trying to shake off the pain. Toshiro threw back the covers to reveal a cracked and broken mug. He deduced by the aching pain emanating from his hand that he'd had the luck to smack it on an odd angle. But just what the _hell_ was Weasley doing with it in his bed? An empty mug? Was he really such a slob?

He tossed the covers back into place and to his dismay realized that once he took a closure look he could see that though comparable in size, some of the edges were clearly outlined through the thick blanket that covered the bed.

With a huff Hitsugaya left the room and traveled down the stairs before slipping from the common room and out into the cooler hallways.

"Idiocy must be contagious."

---

With the familiar trip through the passage and a small wave to the box girl he'd learned to be named Florence- it was apparently just a 'temporary thing'; he slipped out into the student ridden streets of Hogsmead.

Some cast him acknowledging glances while several waved happily as they passed. Somehow, being friends with Neville meant he was nice. Sure, there were still some who were wary, but apparently if your best friend was a rather shy, blundering, somewhat awkward person you became socially acceptable.

Ah the wonders of school life.

He found his aforementioned friend waiting along with the ever strange Luna Lovegood.

"What took you?" Neville asked as he approached.

"I took the long way here," the taicho grunted before they all began heading to the much frequented Three Broom Sticks. While Hitsugaya related visiting the little drink shop to a root canal Luna loved to collect the Butterbeer corks and Neville really loved the Butterbeer itself.

"So are you going anywhere for the Easter Break?" Luna asked as she ran her thin finger along the edge of the table, picking at any chips or scratches.

"I'm staying," Neville answered "And so is Toshiro. How about you?"

The blonde looked off dazedly, "I believe I'm going on an expedition with my father."

Both of the boys knew better then to ask for any of the details involving the 'expedition' but they nodded and told her to enjoy herself none the less.

Hitsugaya listened as his friends laughed about one thing or another while he stared out of the window their booth looked out of onto the snow covered street.

The white flakes were still falling from the cloudy sky which he was rather thankful for. Anything to put off the dreaded heat the summer would surely bring with it.

To think it was already late April. Looking back he realized time really had slipped away from him. His mission had taken a back seat to everything that was going on in the walls of the school which was simply _unacceptable_. He'd only really worked out a few things involving the Dementors. There was the fact that they were extremely volatile, and of course he couldn't over look that soul eating aspect of their abilities.

The taicho wasn't one to boast-he might have been proud but boastful was another thing entirely- but he was powerful, almost incredibly so considering his well— _age_. And if they affected him so strongly and of course Ukitake had also admitted to them being a nuisance. But if two taicho had trouble then a normal unseated officer was sure to be greatly disabled. Other than that…well maybe there wasn't much else to know. Defeating them obviously, but otherwise…maybe he was done.

And really, it just took a lot of determination and endurance building. Although, he wasn't sure if _all_ attacks would work on them. Freezing them had worked for him but he'd never cut them or tried Kido…that was something he could do. After all, Ukitake had dealt with them and he wasn't an ice wielder which meant freezing wasn't the only option.

The holiday would be a good time to undergo the tests, when the grounds were less crowded seeing as most of the students would be off celebrating with their families.

–saying?"

The taicho looked over to find both the other students staring at him over their Butterbeers.

Neville smiled, "You were staring off into the sky again."

He considered it for a moment before nodding, realizing that the teen was right, "Hn."

"We could have ordered you some tea you know."

"I find English tea to be rather enjoyable but I'm not in the mood for it at the moment."

"Well," Luna started dreamily "I think we should go look for some Squicks."

The Shinigami arched a white eyebrow but decided that maybe he didn't want to know.

Neville seemed to have other ideas; "What's a Squick?"

"It's a small mouse like creature that flies and eats acorns but it's also been known to take a bit out of a traveler's finger should they be provoked."

"They…don't sound like something we should go looking for," the brunette said sounding rather nervous making Hitsugaya wonder if he was actually getting pulled into Luna's world of mystical creatures.

"We might as well get going if you really want to look for those…creatures," the Shinigami sighed as he stood.

Other then the Dementors there was still Pettigrew to take care of. If the rat wasn't safely within Ron's sight he was off scurrying somewhere. Maybe he could train Ran to follow after him? Although, Crookshanks could be seen prowling after the rodent more often then not.

Sirius had said that the feline had taken a shine to him during his escapades in his animal form which meant it was probably trying to catch Peter for him. This lessened his work load considerably, it meant he didn't have to go looking for one rat out of what could be millions crawling around the castle.

They spent the remainder of their day walking through the outskirts of the village bordering on the paths up into the mountains looking for Luna's Squicks. Neville seemed to be searching in earnest, crouching down every so often to brush aside the fallen snow to look for wayward acorns. Surely he was just humouring Luna…surely.

But it was a nice break, being away from the heavy concentration of magic lessened the loud ever present buzzing in his mind that it caused. Though, it did make him wonder just how far from the village he could get without beginning to fade from Luna and Neville's sights. It was an interesting question, just how much magic needed to be in the air to make him visible? But he doubted that he would begin to fade when they were only a kilometre away from the village and school.

The walk back was quiet but comfortable; nothing needed to be said but Toshiro made a quick excuse and ducked away as they passed the Shrieking Shack. Neville looked as if he wanted to stop him but instead waved him off bidding him goodbye before he continued on with Luna.

He checked to make sure that there were no students around as he hopped the fence and made his way up the snow covered stone path to the door. He shut the door with a bang; all the notice he needed so that Black didn't have a heart attack when he 'popped out of nowhere'.

"It's me," he called up before he started climbing the steps. There had been yet another incident where he'd had a chair thrown at him because he'd neglected to announce himself properly.

Paranoid old man. Though if anyone had reason to be, it was him.

He walked in to find Black reading once again, sitting on the raggedy old bed. The criminal dog-eared his page before looking up, "And what can I do for you on this fine chilly day?"

"If you hadn't realized by the large number of Hogwarts' students running around, it's the spring Hogsmead trip," Hitsugaya said flatly as he took up his regular spot on the windowsill.

"Ah," the man sighed "I remember the good old days when—

"I just stopped in for a moment to give you a status report."

Black looked a little put out about being cut off but nodded anyway.

"Whenever Peter hasn't been with Ron I haven't been able to find him but otherwise he's always with him so getting him and bringing him here might pose a bit of a challenge."

"Well if you can't do it—

"I can do it," Toshiro growled. "You needn't doubt me."

"Whoa, I wasn't, I'm not," Sirius said raising his hands in submission. "But if it gets to be a bit much it's alright, you're doing me a favour, there's no need to stress yourself out about it."

"This isn't a favour," Toshiro hissed "This is an agreement; a _deal_."

"Sure," the man said placating, "But when you think about it, just what are you getting out of this? Besides getting back at Dumbledore," he added beating the taicho to it.

Toshiro sat there silently for a moment, clearly hesitating.

"See? Nothing. By helping me you're getting back at him, but you're going a little above and beyond don't you think?"

"Well," Hitsugaya started "I believe in doing a job properly and to the full extent of my abilities."

"Yes, I got that feeling. All I'm saying is don't stress yourself out. From what little I know about why you're here you've got your own mission to deal with. And I'm so grateful," he stressed "But I don't want you to drive yourself into the ground."

The man stood and stepped forward, placing two haggard hands on the small shoulders of the Shinigami, "You've done enough as far as I'm concerned. You found Peter for me; you've kept me company and kept me up to date on everything…its enough. I don't want to risk you getting into trouble with Dumbledore or your people. That…incident," Sirius cringed at the memory,

"And after words out on the grounds, it made me realize just how much danger I'm putting you in; I'm jeopardizing your safety because I dragged you into all this. And for that I'm sorry."

The boy looked up into those regretful eyes before narrowing his own teal ones and brushing aside the warm hands.

"I'm involved in this whether you like it or not," he growled as he strode towards the door. "It's too late. Besides," he added as he looked back from the doorway "I'm not going to abandon you now. I'll get Peter; just give me a little while longer."

And with that he slipped away from the room, down the stairs and out of the dilapidated house.

The taicho muttered to himself as he straightened his sweater on the way to Honeyduke's and from there the castle.

"I _won't_ fail."

* * *

Matsumoto huffed as she rested her chin in her palm. She'd tried everything. Damn that Kuchiki and his stubbornness.

She'd dyed his hair, forged reports, altered hemlines, and even gotten outside assistance. Renji had some _wonderful_ ideas that were really creative but he tended to go all out. In another situation that might have been a good thing but she didn't want to leave any traces that could point back to her.

Of course, Byakuya knew it was her though. After all, he was a smart enough man to suspect that much. But if it got out of hand and it was proven that it was in fact her beyond any shadow of a doubt, well, she could be in a lot of trouble. No sake, for a year trouble if Taicho found out just how far she'd gone.

The busty woman looked up at the sound of a knock at the door cheerily calling them in despite her rather agitated mood.

She was greeted with a smiling Ukitake who easily slipped the door closed behind him before entering, "How are you Rangiku-san? You haven't been getting into too much trouble while I was gone ne?"

"Not too much," she replied shiftily. "But how was your mission? Did it all go well?"

The man nodded, "Oh quite well in fact and a bare a message."

A slender rust coloured eyebrow quirked, "A message?"

He nodded, "Yes, Toshiro-kun asked me to tell you to behave."

But how—?

"You went to check on him," she yelled accusingly as she stood, her chair knocking back. "You got to see Taicho and I wasn't even allowed to know about you going! You should have told me! I would have loved to see him! But wait—is something wrong? Why were you sent?!" she asked, worry seeping into her angered voice.

"Ah," Ukitake started "Calm yourself Rangiku-san; I assure you Toshiro-kun is fine. A little annoyed and he's had a bit of trouble but he's doing well. I was just sent to check up on him"

She still looked miffed but nodded before sighing, "You didn't… tell him about everything I've done so far… have you?"

The man shook his head as she righted her chair and plopped down and he took his own seat on the couch, "Of course not. If I did he would have stormed right back here in a rage."

Matsumoto smiled, "Thanks Ukitake-Taicho, but how is he?"

The white haired man leaned forward in his seat with the air of a gossiping housewife, "You'll never guess!"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"He made a friend!"

She gasped, "SHIRO-KUN MADE A FRIEND?!"

The man nodded, "I never officially got to meet him, but that didn't stop me from getting a glimpse. He seems like a very nice boy and you wouldn't believe how well they get along!"

"Tell me everything," she encouraged as she rushed from her desk and onto the couch beside the taicho.

"Well his name is Neville Long something or other….

* * *

Dear Readers,

I'm sick, _painfully_ sick. Just in time for the holidays. Of course. Anyway, I'll try and update a couple of times seeing as I'm going to be staying up really late again. No promises though because who knows what'll happen. But I probably will.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays,

ForeverFalling.


	32. A Box for Your Troubles

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all. I'm tired…very very tired.

****NOTE****

**Really short I know, but I wanted to end it there. Seriously this chapter was my way of skipping over months of content. Finally, I can get to the action. I sat there staring at a timeline trying to figure this out for the longest time and here it is! **

**The ultimate time skip!**

* * *

_The taicho muttered to himself as he straightened his sweater on the way to Honeyduke's and from there the castle. _

"_I won't fail."_

* * *

And he wouldn't.

Failure and Hitsugaya Toshiro were two things not often said in the same sentence and for that, there was a reason. He would begin his search once again with renewed vigour, fuelled by his determined to find Peter.

The taicho walked towards the portrait hole only to hear the sounds of heavy footed steps following after him. He turned to find Potter, scowl and all, a few paces behind him. The Shinigami decided against saying anything seeing as clearly the glasses wearing teen knew he was there and if there was really something to be said then Potter would surely say it.

The white haired boy turned only to hear the footsteps pick up speed until Harry was by his side, "That bastard."

"I am supposed to know—?

"Snape," Harry hissed as they continued striding down the hall at a matched pace. "And Malfoy!"

Ah, but of course.

"He sold me out and got my map taken away!"

Damn. That map could have helped him find Pettigrew.

"Is it really all that much of a shock that Malfoy 'sold you out'?" he enquired "And to whom did you lose your map? Snape I presume?"

"No," Harry sighed, "Lupin. And that's part of the problem! I'd feel fine sneaking into Snape's office and stealing it back but Professor Lupin? No way."

"Ah," Toshiro nodded as they climbed a flight of stairs.

"But you should have seen it," the Boy Who Lived exclaimed, "It was _amazing_! Snape tried to read the map and it came up with all these awesome insults as if it really knew him. Those guys were amazing. I wish I knew what happened to them all. I bet they've made it big and are all really rich or something," he mused.

The taicho looked away knowingly, deciding that he wouldn't burst Potter's bubble about his newest heroes. Because really, the only 'making it big' any of them did was becoming a notorious killer who was tortured for years and has gone slightly crazy, being know as a notorious werewolf with some possible issues with depression, or dying notoriously; faked or otherwise. Notoriety, yes, that's all any of them really had anymore. They were quite a sad bunch really.

"Is he going to give it back to you?"

Harry looked sceptical, "I doubt it. He seemed kind of upset that I had it."

"You mean angry?" The white haired boy asked.

"No," Harry shook his head as the portrait hole and the newly instated guard gnomes came into sight, "He just seemed to think I shouldn't have it. Though," he added "I wonder how he knows about the map."

He really wanted to say something. Just a _quick_ jab at the boy's intelligence. It would be _oh_ so easy.

The muttered password and the swinging open of the portrait hole allowed him to ignore the tempting comments that were ricocheting off the walls of his mind.

The heat hit him with a blast and the taicho stripped off his sweater before casting it over his chair by the window and taking his seat.

"Are you going to go down to dinner?" Harry asked from the door that led up the stairs.

The Shinigami shrugged, "I think I'll stay here."

The green eyed teen nodded before he made his way up the stairs and soon reappeared minus his invisibility cloak and outer wear. With a small wave he was out of the common room leaving Hitsugaya to sit in the empty silence.

He sighed, "What a long day."

* * *

The Easter break passed quickly under the heavy load of homework that the Professors had bestowed upon their students and the excitement of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

There'd been a large party when Gryffindor had won the Cup, which was apparently a very big accomplishment. Toshiro hadn't been nearly as excited as his house mates but he'd congratulated Harry a few days after the event when he finally remembered to.

During the break many people had been rather curious as to what their favourite-_if only_- transfer student was doing whenever they spotted the white haired boy disappearing off into the woods with his sword in tow. Most decided that it was best not to ask, because aggravating the rather short tempered kid with the giant sword never seemed like the best idea.

In actuality every afternoon the taicho had been heading off to the gates to test out different techniques on the Dementors. He'd found that a konso worked exceptionally well; it released all of the souls that the creature had absorbed recently and had yet to be fully used to fuel the monsters. Cutting them had no effect what so ever. Well, it tore their cloaks- though one couldn't really tell the difference, but it had no other effect. He had a theory that it injured the souls it was made of more than it hurt the actual Dementor.

Kido was a valid option but binding sure as hell didn't work as he'd discovered a few days into the break. A good blast was effective enough as a way of driving them off but the Dementors had a way of absorbing them that perturbed him greatly. The attack needed to be something solid, not made of energy.

Ice worked, fire was iffy and a little dangerous to try out considering he was in a _forest_ but he'd managed to try and he'd discovered that a burning Dementor didn't smell pleasant in the _least_ and that the flames had a way of just dying out after a few minutes but in the mean time you had a problem. Because a monster chasing after and trying to eat you was one thing, but a_ flaming_ monster chasing after you while trying to eat you?

Well, that was another thing entirely.

But needless to say considering the forest was rather dry there had been several close calls and a few trips to the lake to soak burnt limbs. And between studying for exams, avoiding –running from- flaming Dementors and researching in general, time passed very quickly.

June snuck up on the entire school population some not taking it so well. Ron for example had shrieked in a way unbecoming of a boy his age. Neville had taken to sweating profusely to a point where his notes had begun to stick to his skin and it had gotten to a point where Toshiro sat a few extra inches away from him at times. It wasn't that he smelled or anything, but the body heat alone was enough to deter the taicho.

It seemed despite the fact that it must have been thirty degrees out the fire was still kept alive in the hearth in Gryffindor common room. Hitsugaya had developed a habit dousing water on it only to discover it had a pension for relighting itself. He'd also taken to vomiting out of the window that his chair was situated next to on occasion much to Hermione's disgust but if they expected him to live with the horrid, muggy, all smothering heat, they should learn to accept the consequences.

There'd been a case of someone standing under the window one day…but they'd decided not to speak of it.

Of course when the exams finally did come around Toshiro flew through them with relative ease. Divination had been…interesting, but after he predicted his own imminent demise the woman who seemed tense ever since discovering that his fortune was unreadable, was pleased. The taicho frankly wondered how she hadn't realized that he was lying, because if he hadn't had a future last week chances were he wouldn't have one that week either. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.

The final exam was for Defence against the Dark Arts and was in the form of an obstacle course. It was by far the most interesting exam and maybe the most difficult but that hadn't stopped Hitsugaya from receiving one of the best marks. Hermione had had a bit of difficulty much to her dismay, and that was where the Shinigami found himself. Trying-and failing-, to comfort the perfectionist of a witch.

"I'm sure your mark won't suffer horribly," he droned for what seemed to be for the fifth time (His sympathy had run out after the second).

"No, no, it will, I just know it," She blubbered into _his_ sleeve.

"Other people did far worse than you, and they passed," he observed quietly as they sat on the grass a few feet from the testing area in the shade of an oak tree.

"Pass!?" she wailed "I didn't want to pass! I wanted to excel! This will throw off my grade average and I'll never be accepted into any sort of job and I'll have to live in a _box_ on the streets," she hiccupped.

He grimaced as he patted her idly on the back, "Yes well, that does sound rather awful but I'm sure you'll find yourself an exceptional box."

The bushy haired witch laughed quietly as she wiped her face, "Yes, I suppose I will."

"You know," the taicho started, "I doubt they actually look at grades from this early on into your education and the final exam is only worth a certain percent of your grade anyway."

Hermione nodded as she sniffed, "That's true. I guess I was just overreacting."

"Hn. Just a bit. Where have Potter and Weasley gone off to?" he asked noticing they were no where in sight.

"They have their Divination exams right about now, I think Neville had his as well actually," she noted as she brushed the lingering tears away from her eyes. "We're supposed to go and see Hagrid once we're all done our exams for today. Harry got a letter from him at breakfast and it turns out that he lost the appeal in the case against Buckbeak, he's going to be executed later tonight I think," she whispered as more tears began to appear.

Toshiro nodded; he'd felt the sombre air within the group that day but hadn't been sure what had happened, he'd sat with Neville and Luna at the Ravenclaw table that morning.

"Come on," he said, standing and brushing the dirt away from his pants and loosening his tie before unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt, trying to stay cool in the horrid heat, "We'd best get going or we'll be late for dinner."

The girl nodded as she too stood and they started making their way up to the castle.

"So, Toshiro," Hermione began hesitantly "I was just wondering…if you were planning on coming back next year?"

The Shinigami looked over, "I'm afraid I won't be returning."

She nodded sadly, "I'm just thinking that Neville is going to be lonely without you."

The taicho nodded grimly, "He might be. But he still has Luna. Though, if I asked you to look out for him, would you?"

"Of course," the witch said quickly as she walked around a patch of mud. "Then I believe he'll be fine. With or without me."

"But will _you_ be fine without _him_?" she asked as brown met teal.

"I managed for over a century."

"Managing isn't the same as being happy."

Hitsugaya cracked a rare grin, "You're right on that account, but believe me when I say I'll be fine. Happy, maybe not, but fine will do."

--

Dinner was a loud affair with the students-and even some teachers-celebrating the end of exams which signalled the ending of yet another school year. Potter and gang seemed rather sedate in comparison but one look at the head table and anyone would realize why.

Hagrid's absence was acknowledged but few but those who did knew why. Actually, even those who didn't acknowledge it knew why by the way Malfoy was bragging about the entire ordeal as he sat at the Slytherin table.

Toshiro sighed, pushing away his tea having already finished eating, "I'm going to go for a walk."

Neville looked up, "A walk? But it's going to get dark out."

"I'm well aware."

He bid Neville goodbye before he made his way up to Gryffindor tower to grab Hyorinmaru.

With exams and studying in the way there hadn't been much time for him to visit Sirius, never mind look for Peter and the taicho was sure the man would be getting anxious.

Once he was through the passage and into the basement he waved absentmindedly to Florence who waved back completely used to his presence as she moved some boxes from the top shelf to the bottom.

It was all the same as it was every time he decided to go see Black. But when he arrived at the Shrieking Shack he found that something was different.

Namely, Sirius wasn't there.

"Sirius?" he called as he walked around the house careful not to fall through the holes in the flooring.

When he received no answer Hitsugaya huffed and made his way up the stairs intent on waiting until the man returned. He sat down on the windowsill he'd claimed as his own where he had a good view of the village hoping to spot the sight of a black dog bounding through the main street only to be sorely disappointed.

The sun was beginning to fall closer and closer to the horizon and there was still no sign of Sirius. Hitsugaya growled as he stood, deciding to head back to the castle instead of waiting all evening when he heard an odd sound.

It was almost a…scream?

The Shinigami drew Hyorinmaru as he realized he could sense two people on the first floor of the house. There was a bump along with another yell quickly followed by a shriek that echoed through the halls and vibrated through his pale ears. The taicho shunpo'd down the stairs careful to not alert the people to his presence.

There was a chance it was just someone playing, trying to spook the locals with their screams but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The noise continued as he crept around the main hall, realizing that the sound was coming from the door that most likely led to the basement. There was another bump that sounded like something being dragged up a flight of stairs and a muffled groan soon followed.

With his Zanpakuto at the ready Toshiro ripped open the door and was met by a very peculiar sight. Teal eyes traveled from the very battered and bruised Ron whose leg was hanging at an odd angle as he clutched at what appeared to be Peter and the man who he'd been waiting for.

The youngest Weasley son winced in the new light as he looked up, "Toshiro?"

Said boy narrowed his gaze as it settled on the rather nervous looking Black. It was a look similar to that of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Sirius," Toshiro started quietly as he raised Hyorinmaru, "What have you done?"

* * *

Dear Readers,

The other night I woke up and freaked out because I thought the light on the ceiling was a ninja coming to kill me. Thus, I've come to the conclusion that I should lay off Naruto for a while. I won't, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize that I should. Have any of you been watching it lately? Epic. I love it with a passion. Anyway, last post of 2009! To think it's almost 2010, where did the time go? Seems like just last week it was the good old 90's and yesterday we were celebrating the Millennium. It makes me feel old…and I only just turned sixteen. But a lot has happened in the past ten years, some good some bad and some terrible. Still, it's been a wild ride. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,

ForeverFalling.


	33. Like a Cheap Rug

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really does make my day to read them all.

******_**VERY**_** IMPORTANT NOTE********

**Okay, so we all know I skipped the time turner bit right? I even had a pole about it. Well, I said I'd work around it and I am; by altering the timeline a **_**smidge**_**. Buckbeak will be executed at…I don't know…9:00 PM instead of in the afternoon. My reasoning? So…there was no chance of students witnessing the slaughter of a living creature. *nods* SO! Instead of them being forced to leave and witnessing the event take place, they comforted Hagrid and then… left of their own accord only to have 'the grim' appear.**

**Ah yes, the power to change the Harry Potter world with a tap of my keyboard.**

**So, I know I said I wouldn't be updating until after the New Year…But I got excited and couldn't stop writing…whoops?**

* * *

_It was a look similar to that of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. _

"_Sirius," Toshiro started quietly as he raised Hyorinmaru, "What have you done?" _

_

* * *

_

"Well, Toshiro I— uh," the man stuttered under the boy's furious gaze.

"You're with him?!" Ron yelled "We should have never trusted you, you bastard. We thought…"

The rest of the teen's yelling was ignored as Toshiro glared at the man he'd come to know, "Get your ass up here this instant."

Sirius looked hesitant but nodded hurriedly as the temperature began to drop and ice began forming on the old paper thin walls. Ron yelped as his leg hit the top of the steps

"And for God's sake, watch where you're going!"

Black nodded and followed after him like a lost child, hoisting Ron over his shoulder as he went. The taicho led the odd little group up the stairs and into the bedroom, motioning for Sirius to put the red haired teen on the bed.

Once Ron was settled Toshiro looked about the room before decidedly ripping the already tattered drapes off of the window.

"Wha— what are you doing?" Ron asked nervously.

The Shinigami ignored him as he set the drapes down at the bed, casting angry glares at Black before gently grabbing Ron's leg and tearing the fabric of his pants up the seams.

"What are you doing?!" Ron yelped as he clutched Peter closer to his chest.

"I'm taking care of you leg," Hitsugaya said absentmindedly as he examined the injured limb. It wasn't a horrible break, not a compound fracture but surely still painful.

He grabbed the abandoned curtains and balled them up then placed them under the teen's leg to elevate it. Sirius started to say something but Toshiro silenced him with a glance before he placed a pair of very cold hands on the injured leg, Ron irrupting in a hiss as he did.

"Normally, I'd use ice but this should be fine for now," he muttered as he held on gently.

"Black," he growled, "I suggest you begin explaining just what the hell was going through your mind when you grabbed him."

"But look," the man gestured "He's got Peter!"

"What are you talking about?!" Ron shrieked.

"Be quiet," Toshiro shot back, accidentally gripping the teen's leg too tightly.

"Watch it you _traitor_," Ron yelped.

"Would you stop yelling at him," Sirius shouted angrily.

"You be quiet too," Hitsugaya hissed, "I'm not finished with you."

"What the hell do you guys want?!" Ron yelled as he pulled at Toshiro's hands that were squeezing his leg painfully.

"I want Peter," Black growled.

"My name's Ron!"

"I want both of you to shut up," Toshiro huffed loudly as he leg go of Ron's leg. "Some things need to be explained don't you think?"

"What's to be explained?" The youngest Weasley son asked "You're with Black and you're going to use me to get to Harry. I knew there was something wrong about you Hitsugaya! To think we trusted you!"

Toshiro shoved at his broken limb, "Just be quiet."

Ron doubled over as he gripped at his leg, glaring as he did.

"You won't get away with this," he spat quietly "They'll come and both of you will get the Dementor's Kiss. Though you won't even need it will you, Toshiro? They'll just put you in the same room and the Dementors will eat you."

Sirius growled but was silenced when Hitsugaya held up a pale hand.

"But its not too late Toshiro," the redhead said almost pleadingly "We can get out of here and we can act like none of this happened."

"I'm afraid it's far too late for that," Toshiro sighed. "But we're not going to—

He stopped mid-sentence when he heard a creak, realizing he'd missed the fact that two more people had entered the house. As he listened more closely he could hear them climbing the stairs.

The Shinigami pulled Hyorinmaru's sheath from his back and slipped out of his rather form fitting school sweater and then undid and tossed aside his tie before he untucked his white dress shirt from the top of his black pants.

He couldn't have his tie snagging on anything and it was too easy for someone to grab. He rolled his shoulders content with the increased range of motion his untucked shirt allowed him.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked nervously as the Shinigami retrieved Hyorinmaru's sheath and slipped it back into place.

"I'm getting ready," he answered simply as he fingered Hyorinmaru's edge, satisfied with a smear of blood appeared on his pale skin.

"Y-you're going to k-kill Harry aren't you?"

The footsteps stilled for a moment before they continued and Toshiro stepped forward and swung open the door that Sirius had shut previously. He stepped back into the corner, not wanting to be run over by the teens, and Sirius followed after him eyes still set on the rat clutched in Ron's grasp.

Harry and Hermione dashed into the room, wands at the ready.

"Ron," Harry sighed in relief not noticing the two standing in the corner, "You're okay. But where's the dog?"

"It's a trap," Ron gasped as he pointed toward the unnoticed pair "He's the dog! He's an Animagus! And Toshiro's with him!"

Hermione stepped in front of her friend, "If you want to kill Harry you'll have to kill us too. And you," she said turning to Toshiro, "How could you? We _trusted_ you."

"Only one will die tonight," Sirius spoke up only to be glared at.

"You bastard, it'll be you!" Harry snarled as he went to lunge around his friend at the criminal only to be stopped as he found himself faced with the tip of the taicho's Zanpakuto.

"I suggest," Hitsugaya started "That we all calm down. There are some things that need to be explained."

"The hell there is," Harry growled.

"Just put your wands down," he said calmly.

"Don't do it Harry," Ron yelled "It's a trap they're trying to kill you!"

"Oh _be quiet_," Toshiro snarled in a way that seemed to vibrate through the cold room. Everyone stilled and watched the glowing teal eyes narrow. "Now, we're all going to discuss this calmly and rationally before anyone does something stu—

"Expelliarmus!"

Toshiro grunted as Hyorinmaru was almost wrenched from his grasp but held on, sending him crashing into the back wall and nearly into the window. He regained his footing quickly, pulling some splinters from his bare arms as he did.

Harry looked almost afraid as the taicho grabbed a wood chip about the size of his thumb and pulled it from his forearm.

Dumbledore's warnings were ringing in Harry's ears.

The chunk of wood fell to the floor with a clatter.

"As I was trying to say, we have some things that need to be discussed before someone does something _stupid_. Although Potter seems to have jumped the gun," the transfer said quietly.

Harry turned to Hermione trying to judge her reaction to see her looking just as scared as he felt. He should have listened to Dumbledore, he should have been more careful. More cautious. But there'd been nothing! Nothing to make him think that Hitsugaya was after his life, there'd been no clues that he'd teamed up with Sirius Black.

"So," he started "So all of this was a lie? Your friendship with Neville and Luna? It was just a cover to make use think you were nice? To make us _trust_ you? We thought you were helping Dumbledore mean while you're actually teamed up with him?!"

He felt horribly betrayed, but more so he felt a deep grief for Neville who thought he'd made a life long friend. Finally found someone who looked out for him and didn't look _down_ on him.

"All that stuff about your life? Was that just to make us feel like we were getting to know the real you? So we wouldn't suspect what you were really up to?"

The transfer glared as he stepped over to Black's side, who'd been silent for the most part, brushing dirt from his clothes as he did.

"If you'd stop interrupting and allow us to actually get somewhere in this conversation we could straighten this entire thing out."

"Expelliarmus," a voice called from the door and Harry's along with Hermione's wands that had been directed at the Shinigami and convict were sent clattering to the floor.

To everyone' surprise-minus Toshiro- they found Lupin standing in the doorway.

"Well, well Sirius. Looking rather ragged aren't we?" he asked as he made his way into the room. "The flesh finally reflects the madness within."

"Well," Sirius smiled "You'd know all about the madness within wouldn't you?"

Lupin stepped forward and hugged his friend tightly like he'd finally found his long lost brother. And in a way he had. The man gave Toshiro a small smile and a pat on the back.

"You-you mean you're all in on it?" Hermione gasped, her eyes shining in horror and betrayal. "All this time, we kept your secret Toshiro and I kept yours Professor."

The haggard man looked at her curiously, "How long have you known?"

"She's known ever since Snape subbed in for you," Toshiro revealed "He had a lesson on werewolves, it was easy enough to put together from there."

"You too Toshiro?" he asked as he turned to the boy.

"I knew there was something off about you the moment I met you, but then Sirius told me of your…childhood escapades. I've known for months."

The teacher nodded.

"Alright yes, you're a werewolf everyone knows now let's get down to business," Black said impatiently.

"Wait," Toshiro called reaching out to grab his arm "Don't you think you should explain to them?"

"I'm done waiting! Remus are you going to help me or not?" he asked as he picked up one of the abandoned wands.

"Fine," his friend agreed.

"Toshiro," Sirius called "You deserve to take part in killing him as well. All the time you've spent with this it's the least you deserve."

"He's yours," the taicho said quietly "This is your revenge. Mine was over the moment he arrived in this house."

"No," Harry shouted. "You betrayed them. You're the reason my parents are dead."

"It wasn't him Potter," Hitsugaya warned "It was someone else."

"Someone else?" Harry scoffed. "Than who?!"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Peter- Peter Pettigrew?" Harry laughed, "Don't you _know_? He killed him too!"

"He's not dead Harry. He's here. He's the rat."

Ron paled, "You're insane. All of you. Scabbers has been in my family for years. He's just a rat."

The dead boy let his gaze slid to the red head, "Don't you think its odd, how long he's been alive? A common rat should have a fraction of Scabber's life span."

"Y-You're wrong," Ron stuttered.

"It's true," Lupin said calmly. "We can explain every—

"Expelliarmus!"

Sirius' and Lupin's wands were sent flying and Toshiro was forced back a few paces as Snape appeared in the doorway. The taicho growled, becoming quite annoyed with all of the interruptions.

The man sneered as he directed his wand at the three, "I told Dumbledore not to trust you, you freak. I suppose we know how he got into the castle. And Lupin," he smirked "How I'll enjoy proving that you've been helping your old friend as well. Caught in the act."

"Wrong as usual," Black shot back as he stalked towards his old schoolmate until they were face to face.

Snape pressed his wand into Sirius' neck, glaring as he did, "Just give me a reason. I beg of you."

"Severus, stop this," Lupin pleaded.

"Oh, I see no reason to," the man chuckled darkly.

"Will you be so brave when the Dementors come for you?" he asked Sirius quietly so that the others had to strain to hear. "And don't think I've forgotten about you," he called to Toshiro who was standing quietly off to the side preferring not to get involved with old grudges.

"Just wait, although I'm sure you'll suffer sooner than the rest. Tell me, how close do the Dementor's have to be to start devouring you? Not very, I'd assume. They're just so…_haunted_ by you."

With the thick tension in the air Snape didn't notice Harry grab up his fallen wand until it was too late, "Expelliarmus!"

The Professor was sent cascading into the wall before slumping onto the floor. Toshiro rolled his eyes. Apparently Expelliarmus was _everyone's_ favourite spell.

"You just attacked a teacher," Hermione said clearly shocked.

Harry himself looked rather surprised at his own actions but he nodded and turned to Black, "You— you said, Peter Pettigrew was alive."

Professor Lupin nodded, "Yes."

"But, he killed him didn't he?" he asked pointing to Sirius.

"I thought so too. But after you mentioned seeing his name on the map I wasn't sure."

Toshiro quirked an eyebrow curiously, having never heard of such an incident. But then again, he wasn't really in Potter's 'trusted circle'.

"Then it was lying—

"The map never lies," Sirius interrupted "He's alive. And he's right there!"

They all turned to look at where Sirius was pointing and Ron paled under everyone's scrutiny. "I- I'm Ron."

"Not you, you bumbling idiot. We've been over this," Toshiro hissed as he glared fiercely. "_The rat_. The rat is Peter Pettigrew. He's obviously an Animagus. _Idiots_, all of you. As I said, aren't you a little surprised that he's lived as long as he has? And if you look back, when did he appear? Why, twelve years ago which is about the time Harry's parents were killed and he was 'killed'."

"And he's missing a toe isn't he," Black piped up.

"Yeah, so?" Ron squeaked.

Toshiro resisted the urge to growl.

"A finger," Harry supplied, "All they found of him was a finger."

Sirius nodded as he grabbed a piece of folded newspaper from off his table, "See."

The unfolded newsprint revealed a picture of what Toshiro believed to be the Weasley family.

"As soon as I saw this I knew."

"But Professor Lupin," Hermione started, "What about you? I mean, how are you involved?"

The man smiled, "Sirius and I were the best of friends for years. All through school and after. We were a group of four. Sirius, James, Peter and I. We were the Marauders. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. We thought we'd be friends forever," he mused

"And Toshiro is here for his own reasons," he said with a glance at the annoyed Shinigami.

"Was any of what you said even true?" Harry asked tiredly. "Or was this just all a giant scheme to get close to us so you could get Peter."

"I was told to guard you by Dumbledore," Hitsugaya said flatly. "I needed to be close enough that I could carry out my orders but far enough away that you wouldn't suspect. Neville presented a good opportunity and I took it."

"I knew it," Harry growled "You were using him."

"If you learned not to interrupt this would run a lot more smoothly," the white haired by drawled. "I used him, but that doesn't mean he didn't become my friend…my best in fact. At first I followed my orders from Dumbledore but when Sirius explained things I gave him a chance. We would up working together."

"But why?" Hermione asked "What did you have to gain from _any_ of this? I mean, you're not even alive, you have nothing to do with it."

"You don't need to be alive to hold a grudge. It was a way of defying Dumbledore, but also, it is my duty to protect all souls from the Dementors. It would go against my mission, and my honour, to allow Sirius to have his soul taken."

Everyone looked at him, clearly confused so the taicho huffed as he sheathed Hyorinmaru-much to everyone's relief-,

"I come from a group that controls the traffic of souls, and we could not permit the Dementors' actions to continue. I am here on a mission to gather information on their abilities and how or if we can eradicate the entire species."

Harry swallowed, "Oh."

"Yes, oh," Toshiro intoned. "I was never supposed to become involved in the affairs of wizards. Unfortunately, I was. And I don't appreciate being used by a man who believes himself to have the right to dictate what others do so thoroughly."

"Well…now that _that's_ settled," Lupin started "I think we have a rat to kill."

Scabbers began to squirm in Ron's hold desperately.

"Together?" the werewolf asked as he leaned down and grabbed up his wand and tossed the other to Sirius. They nodded in unison before a flash of light appeared and Scabbers was wrenched from Ron's grasp.

The rodent twisted in midair as it began to grow and enlarge. Limbs elongated and fur began to recede along with the scaly tail until the body of a rather plump, dirty, mangy but all together rather rat like man appeared.

Hitsugaya's face furrowed in disgust as he took a step back; the man smelled vile.

Watery eyes turned to the two men, "S-Sirius, Remus, my old friends."

No one said anything as some stared in shock, some awe and some disgust. Pettigrew hesitated for a moment as he beady eyes darted towards the still open door. Toshiro glared as he walked over and slammed it shut ignoring how the door frame shook.

Peter began to snivel nervously as the room's occupants stared down at his pathetic form.

"I- I didn't mean to," he wailed "You have no idea, the weapons he possesses. Ask yourself, what would you have done Sirius?" He turned to stare at the taller man who looked down at him with hatred,

"I would have died rather then betrayed my friends," Black roared "And you should have realized Peter, if Voldemort didn't kill you…"

"We would," Lupin finished.

"Please," he shrieked "Ron! Ron, haven't I been a good pet?"

The redhead stared back clearly still in shock over the whole ordeal. Seeing as he was receiving no help from his former owner Peter turned to look pleadingly at Hermione,

"Sweet girl, such a lovely girl. You won't let them hurt me will you?"

The witch took a step back as he reached out towards her.

"Toshiro," Sirius said "This is your last chance. Are you sure?"

The Shinigami nodded, "I'm positive. Now hurry. I'm growing tired of his face."

Sirius and Lupin raised their wands at their former friend who tried to scurry away as they advanced.

"No- wait," Harry called and they stilled.

"Harry, this man…"

"I know what he is Professor Lupin," the teen said quietly "But we'll take him to the castle. The Dementors can have him."

Peter paled, "But- but," he quickly turned to look at Hitsugaya, "You _wonderful_, _beautiful_ boy, didn't you say that you couldn't allow the Dementor's to eat anymore souls? You did, I heard you so you can't possibly allow them to give me over to them."

Well. He might just have a point.

Toshiro frowned for a moment considering what the man had said but not entirely sure how he should react. On one hand, he had his orders, but on the other, he'd promised to aid Sirius and Peter really did deserve any punishment that he was allotted.

The room's other occupants turned to look questioningly at the Shinigami who was staring down blankly at the man who was hunched on floor by his feet.

Harry inhaled loudly, catching the cold teal eyes with his own green,

"Well, what's it going to be?"

* * *

Dear Readers,

Yeah, I didn't think I'd have a problem with skipping the time turner but apparently I forgot about Buckbeak's execution. But, I think with the way I've been running the show so far its acceptable to change it up a bit…right? So do any of you read D. Gray - Man? It's one of my all time _favourite_ manga the art is so beautiful- but the new chapter? Oh my God. The last few have been so AMAZING. To finally learn all about Kanda's past and what he really is and all that. But…I found it very sad. It's no wonder he turned out the way he did. He's my favourite character so I loved getting to see him as a little kid but again…sad. It kind of made my chest ache at points. Those kinds of stories about little kids growing up all alone like that...or dying all alone. It's like someone's stepping on my heart. They make me cry. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	34. Skin a Cat

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Well, it's the first update of 2010 and I just want to thank everyone who reviewed because it really makes my day to read them all.

**NOTE INVOLVING PLOT**

**I'm stepping away from canon for my ending, at least in one respect because based on reviews, that's what most of you wanted. Plus, it just makes everything easier. **

**.:Two chapters left:.**

**PS. I know everyone wants the absolute GIANT reveal where everyone finds out just how kick ass and amazing Toshiro is… Well, it's **_**not**_** going to happen. At least, not in this. Remember, there's a sequel to this. I've got to leave SOME stuff to use later on, plus they do already know the basics. **

* * *

_The room's other occupants turned to look questioningly at the Shinigami who was staring down blankly at the man who was hunched on floor by his feet. _

_Harry inhaled loudly, catching the cold teal eyes with his own green, _

"_Well, what's it going to be?" _

* * *

Toshiro stared down at the pathetic man who's rather awful stench was still burning in his nose.

His mission outline clearly stated that he was to prevent all souls from being absorbed by the Dementors. And was it really his place to decide the fate of a man's soul? But then again, he'd promised to aid Black in killing Peter.

_Killing_…Peter…

But Harry's opinion played a role in the matter as well and Potter wanted Pettigrew to suffer under the Dementors, not face death at the hands of his schoolmates and make probably two of the only adults who really cared for him murderers…

"I think we should kill him," he said simply.

Sirius nodded happily, "See, he's got the right idea!"

"NO," Harry yelled "We're not killing him. We'll hand him over to the Dementors. Do you really want to be a murderer like the world already thinks you are?!"

Black looked down rather ashamed.

"I never said he had to do it. If need be, I'll take care of it."

Everyone turned to stare at the small Shinigami.

"Y-You'd kill a man?" Hermione asked sounding rather horrified.

The taicho nodded, "It wouldn't be the first time."

A shiver ran up everyone's spines at his cold words.

"Look," Harry started "I don't want anyone killing anybody."

"I don't particularly see a way around it," the taicho drawled as he drew Hyorinmaru.

Peter paled as the sound of metal on metal rang through the small room. It was odd, Hitsugaya mused, never before had he felt more like the Grim Reaper that the living were constantly comparing Shinigami to.

"Harry please," Sirius said pleadingly "This man…he's done so many horrible things. He's the reason James and Lily are dead. It's unforgivable."

The two stared each other down as the sound of ripping fabric filled the room.

Toshiro examined the strip of cloth, satisfied with its length and width. He held the fabric up to the dying light coming in from the window, pleased to find that none shone through. The taicho did a quick practice stoke, bringing Hyorinmaru down in an arching slash, making sure to flick his wrist slightly at the end.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Hermione asked hesitantly as if she really didn't want to know.

"There is a certain technique for carrying out an execution. Of course, not all of the traditions can be followed but we'll just have to make do I suppose," he said quietly and yet his words were heard throughout the room.

"Oh," she replied a shade of green overtaking her face "You're going to— to behead him?"

"We could always hang him, but this way is less painful."

"How…nice of you?"

He nodded before stepping towards Peter, "I believe I'll follow some of the English customs."

"Wait," Lupin said rather startled "You're going to just…do it?"

The taicho nodded before looking down at the man, "Do you forgive me?"

The rat twittered nervously, "Never."

The group watched on in morbid fascination as the Shinigami tied the cloth around the man's eyes before thinking better of it and grabbing another strip to bind his hands behind his back.

"Do you have any final words? A prayer to your God maybe?"

"Y-You'll all pay for this! Lord Voldemort will k-kill you all! "

Toshiro hummed in acknowledgement of his words.

He looked to Sirius, "Is this what you want?"

The man was pale and his hands were shaking slightly as he looked on at the scene of the cold Shinigami standing behind his former childhood friend, sword poised to take his life.

"I-yes, but…" he trailed off looking for the right words.

There was something horrifying about seeing a person you'd grown up with about to have their head sliced off.

He nodded before he decided, "This isn't the way. The bastard should die the same way James and Lily did."

Toshiro nodded understandingly as he stepped back before frowning, "Well, someone else is going to have to do it because I don't have my wand."

"Well there's about five on the floor," Harry noted idly.

"I thought you were against all this?" Ron asked from his place on the bed.

"I was- I mean I am- I- I don't know," he finished lamely as he rubbed at his eyes under his glasses.

"Look," Hitsugaya huffed as he gave Peter a small shove and walked around him. "We're either doing this or we're not and I'm just going to do it because there's no going—

He was cut off by a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass.

The Shinigami didn't even bother turning around as he sighed, "He…just jumped out of the window didn't he."

The entire room nodded in shock.

Sirius rushed towards the shattered window, trying to catch a glimpse of Peter only to see the strips of drapery Toshiro had used to blind him and bind his hands.

Many people had done _many_ things to get out of the taicho's presence. They'd run, faked illness, forged order papers, made excuses… But jumping out of a second story window?

Well, that was a new one.

"So…" Harry started as most of the room's occupants continued to stare at the now broken window, "Now what?"

"We go _after_ him," Toshiro dictated as if speaking to a two year old.

That seemed to break the spell.

"Oh, right," Hermione nodded as she went to leave the room only to stop short, "What about Ron?"

"Yeah what about me?" the redhead asked nervously.

"I'll help you Mr. Weasley," Lupin offered.

Toshiro strode over to the window trying to pick out the tiny speck that would be Pettigrew in the half light. If there was ever a time to have it a cat, it was than. Just to see the little bastard squeal…

The taicho closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to sense out the man turned rodent. He smirked when he finally located him, coming up on the tree line.

"Black, are you coming?" he called to the man who nodded. "Then grab my arm."

Sirius looked to hesitate but nodded and grabbed hold.

With a shunpo they were out of the window and gaining on Peter.

* * *

Harry stared after where his godfather and Hitsugaya had disappeared, "…That's new."

"What just happened?" Hermione asked "He just vanished! It…it couldn't have been apparation, it lacked the proper turn and…what just happened?"

Lupin nodded as he turned back to help Ron.

The Boy Who Lived huffed as he looked at the unconscious Potion's Master, "Can't we just leave him?"

Ron nodded, "I'm with him on this one."

Lupin sighed.

* * *

Hitsugaya stayed behind as Black lunged for the small rat that was scurrying towards the forest.

"Get out of the way," he called in warning. The man turned back to see the boy separating his feet as if to brace himself, "What are you going to do?"

"Do I have your permission to kill him?" he asked keeping his eyes trained on Peter.

"What? Yes! Just stab the bastard for all I care, just don't let him get away. Not after all this time!"

The taicho nodded before he stuck out his hand, supporting it with his other, "Shakkaho!"

The red flame cannon slammed into the rat, encasing the small body in a blinding red light, taking out most of the ground around it. Toshiro's nose scrunched at the smell of burning fur.

Sirius stared blatantly, "Did…did you just blow him up? With wandless magic?!"

"It's not magic," The Shinigami corrected as he drew Hyorinmaru and made his way over to where the rat's body was slowly morphing back into the frame of a man with blistered and blackened skin.

"It's an art called Kido, but it's more specifically a Hadō."

Sirius gathered himself as he made his way over to the -hopefully- corpse of his childhood friend.

"Bloody hell, you've got to teach me that," he said in awe as he looked down at the blackened body.

"Hn."

He raised his blade before hesitating, "I'm not positive if he's dead or not…"

It was probably the former if the smell was anything to judge by, and yet his soul had still yet to appear.

"Would you like to…do the honours?" he asked.

Sirius nodded as he held out his wand and with a muttered, "Avada kedavra." The deed was done.

The taicho watched as Peter's soul rose out of his body, looking startled and nervous. He let out a squeal when he locked eyes with Hitsugaya.

"I'm dead, I'm dead," he repeated as he tugged at the chain protruding from his chest.

"Yes," the taicho nodded "You are."

Black gave him an odd look, "I'm what?"

"Not you," the taicho said dismissively as he drew Hyorinmaru and advanced towards the wayward soul, "It's time for you to leave this world. Permanently."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked exasperatedly.

"As I said earlier, my race controls the passage of souls from one world to the next."

"You mean that traitor is still here?!" Black growled.

"Not for long." He said.

Peter tried to crawl away as he advanced.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Hitsugaya snapped.

"Then what's with the sword?" The man shrieked.

"Stay still and you'll find out."

He leaned forward and firmly placed Hyorinmaru's hilt in the center of his forehead before withdrawing it, pleased with the seal that appeared as Peter began to disappear.

"What— what's happening?" the man asked nervously as he began to disappear.

"Be at ease," Hitsugaya said quietly "This is the least of your worries."

A flash of understanding appeared in Peter Pettigrew's eyes before he was gone from the world of the living.

"Hey…Toshiro?" the taicho looked over at Sirius

"Yes?"

"You mentioned that the Dementors were drawn to you right?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"And…Peter's soul was just here right?"

"Yes."

"And…I'm here."

"Ye…oh," the taicho said realizing what the man was getting at and soon enough he began to feel the draining sensation he had come to expect when the Dementors drew near.

"Hn. This…could be difficult."

Black began to tremble, "Shouldn't- shouldn't we try and get away?"

"And go where?" the Shinigami asked "They'll follow us no matter what. We're like…"

"A feast?" the man supplied.

"Hn." He said in agreement. "I'll protect you," he assured "There's no need to fear."

"Toshiro, I really don't see how you're going to be able to stop them all," the jittery man whispered, his breath coming in wisps of white as the black figures began to appear in the sky overhead.

Toshiro swallowed as more and more appeared. He'd built up a tolerance to their effects but he'd only experimented with one, two at the most. There must have been a hundred.

"It'll be fine."

Sirius dropped to his knees as they gave way, crumbling into the frozen grass. Hitsugaya gasped slightly for air as his lungs began to seize up. He held up a pale hand, watching as an aura began to appear around the appendage, fascinated as that aura began to be pulled towards the open mouths of the Dementors.

The hand clenched into a fist as he called out into the heavy air, his words echoing across the eerie grounds,

"Reign over the frozen heavens: Hyorinmaru!"

* * *

Harry swore as his head slammed into the wood support beam on their way through the passage.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

He nodded, careful not to jostle Ron who he was supporting.

Snape was floating along ahead of their little procession.

"Do you think Toshiro and Sirius are alright?" Harry asked quietly to no one in particular.

"I'm sure they're fine," Lupin answered, assuringly. "You know Harry, Sirius is your Godfather."

The teen stared, "Is he really?!"

The man nodded with a small smile, "Yes, he cares very deeply for you. I think part of what drove him to survive Azkaban was the thought of seeing you again."

"Oh…," he said, not sure what to say but was given a reprieve as they reached the exit.

Getting everyone out was a bit of a chore but once they were everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I guess we should go find them shouldn't…" Harry trailed off, sticking his hand out to catch a snowflake softly in his hand, swearing he heard Toshiro's voice but was distracted when another sound met his ears.

An odd choking one.

He turned around to find Lupin hunched over before his green eyes looked up to the sky to find the moon floating amidst the many stars. Hermione looked panicked and Ron rather pale as they stared at their transforming Professor.

"Bloody hell," Ron whimpered.

* * *

The ice dragon swept through the darkened sky smaller, smaller then usual, freezing the Dementors as it went.

Toshiro blinked the fog from his eyes, ignoring the screams of pain that were beginning to fill his ears. He sent another flow of ice as the remaining Dementors advanced, not to be deterred from the soul of the man they'd been searching for. And of course he was a lovely bonus.

The world began to tip beneath his feet until the taicho stumbled. From his place on the snow covered grass he could see them drawing nearer. Coming for him. A single Dementor seemed to be coming closer then the others, pulling him, drawing him into the gaping wound that was its mouth.

His grip on Hyorinmaru began to loosen as a sense of calm washed over the white haired Shinigami. Numbness was beginning to spread through his limbs as his breathing slowed.

'How similar,' he thought 'So…familiar'.

It was as if he was dying all over again. Freezing to death in the middle of nowhere…history had an odd way of repeating itself, he mused as the world began to darken.

* * *

"Oh hell, oh hell," Ron chanted as he hyperventilated.

"Professor," Hermione called carefully as they backed away from the man as his form began to twist and change, "P-Professor Lupin? Can you hear me?"

"I don't think he can, Hermione," Harry whispered as he tried to get Ron onto his back so they could run.

"He-he must not have taken his potion," she murmured as there was a great cracking sound and Lupin's legs began to elongate.

Harry's grip on his wand tightened as he swallowed nervously, "We're…going to have to run for it."

"Harry, there's no way we can outrun a bloody werewolf," Ron muttered, his pale face shining in the moonlight.

There was an unholy growl as the trio returned their attention to their Professor. The werewolf bared its teeth, drool slipping from it's canine's as another growl began as a rumble in it's large chest until it burst forth loudly, ringing in their ears.

"G-Guys?" Ron squeaked.

Harry raised his wand at what had used to be Lupin came running at them.

"Confundo," Hermione yelled, sending the spell shooting at the werewolf.

"Hermione…" Harry started "I don't think…confusing him more was the right move."

But they ran anyway as a loud howl went up to the sky and its many denizens. The three teens could hear the sounds of footfalls behind them and no one needed to glance back to know that the creature was following them.

There was a snarl that sounded far too close and three sets of eyes looked back to be met with the sight of the werewolf right behind them, gaining on them. Hermione screamed as they tried in vane to pick up speed, to reach to castle or Hagrid's before it was too late.

* * *

A scream broke through his sense of calm, a loud howl shattering it entirely.

Teal eyes snapped open having never realized they'd been closed.

He was met with a Dementor less then a meter over head, bearing down on him. Toshiro tightened his grip on Hyorinmaru until he was sure his knuckles would break. The temperature began to drop even further as snow began to cloud the air, swirling in the wind that blew across the school grounds.

He could hear Black gasping somewhere off to his right, pleading with a figment of his own imagination; something born right out of his nightmares.

The taicho inhaled, took in the smell of the freshly fallen snow that masked that of burning flesh. He stared up at the creature wondering vaguely how many people had had their souls sucked out, this being their very last sight.

With a calming breath he called up to the night sky, "Hyorinmaru!"

The ice dragon burst forth into the sky, a roar shook the ground upon which he stood almost making him tumble back down as everything continued to spin around him relentlessly. The world began to flicker around him as the cold enveloped him, protected him from the creatures. Through the dizziness he could make out shattered ice and chunks in piles, scattered across the snow as Hyorinmaru's tail wrapped around him. A comforting rumble came from the dragon as he slowly began to fade and the taicho was left standing with Black twitching on the ground.

"S-Sirius," he rasped before coughing into his hand trying to clear his lungs.

A groan was the only response he received as the snow continued to fall softly around them.

"Come on," he grunted as he carefully made his way over, Hyorinmaru's tip dragging across the ground as he did, "We've got to get to the others. Something's happened."

"Uh huh," the man groaned as he continued to lie where he was.

"Up," Toshiro hissed as he caught his breath wanting nothing more then to sit down for a moment.

Black was clearly struggling so the taicho grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up, "Hold on."

The man gripped the hand that was holding him tightly and the Shinigami took off with a Shunpo in the direction that he'd heard the screams.

Hopefully.

* * *

Ron yelped as he toppled off of Harry's back and onto the ground, The Boy Who Lived soon joining him.

Hermione was ahead of them glancing through the trees to make sure Professor Lupin wasn't near. The ground had shaken oddly beneath them and the werewolf had run away as if sensing something they couldn't, and maybe they didn't want to know.

"Are you both alright," the witch called back as she double checked that the coast was clear.

Ron groaned as he clutched his leg, "Not really."

"I'm fine, just a little winded," Harry answered as he watched a bit of snow swirl through the air. He couldn't help but wonder if it was Hitsugaya's doing. It seemed as if the cold followed him wherever he went. And little wonder.

A gust of cold hit them all in the face as the little transfer looking worse for wear along with his Godfather appeared.

Upon further inspection it was easy to say that Hitsugaya was almost as white as his hair while Sirius seemed to be having trouble controlling his movements.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked tiredly.

They all nodded.

Toshiro glanced up at the sky, "I suppose I know why I heard howling."

Harry nodded, "Where's Peter?"

"Dead," was the simple answer. Sirius nodded in agreement clearly not trusting his own voice.

"What…happened to you both?" Hermione asked, making her way over.

"Dementors," Sirius rasped.

"But…you're alright?"

"Somehow. It's a bloody miracle."

The teens glanced at Toshiro who was looking off in another direction, his teal eyes glowing in the moonlight.

"We've got to get moving," he muttered "More Dementors will surely come. You have no more business here," he said turning to Sirius. "And if they catch you you'll be given to the Dementors. I didn't do all this for it to be for naught."

"But how are we going to get him out of here?" Harry asked. "The Dementors are probably coming right now and Lupin's back by the Whomping Willow. The other ways out are through the castle and the gates which won't work anyway."

The Shinigami nodded in acknowledgment before he asked, "What time was Buckbeak's execution?"

"Uh…nine I believe," Hermione answered before catching on.

"That's his way out."

"Are you insane?!" she hissed "Not only will the headmaster be there but so will people from the Ministry! The Minister himself in fact, not to mention Malfoy's father!"

"You'll all stay out of sight, I'll go," the taicho said in response.

"They'll see you!"

"It won't take long."

"You really think they'll let you stride in there and take him?"

"They won't have a say in the matter. I'll be gone before they have the time. He'll be out, I'll say that I'm an animal fanatic or something along those lines, we'll say Ron tripped down the stairs and that we have no idea where Professor Lupin went or how half of the grounds froze over."

"Half of the- what are you talking about?" Ron asked from his place on the ground.

"There's _no way_ they're going to believe that _you're_ an animal lover," Harry scoffed. "Everyone's heard about the incidents in Care of Magical Creatures."

"And the stairs have a charm on them so that people _can't_ fall down them. Well, at least so that no one would be injured."

"Just be quiet," he snapped back at the three. "If you recall I was actually fine with Hippogriffs, it was just…everything else that gave me trouble. And we can tell them that…I don't know," he threw up his hands "That Malfoy did something to his leg. I could care less."

"I _like_ that idea," Ron piped up.

"Well, now that that's decided," Toshiro huffed, "I'll be back."

And suddenly the boy was gone.

"How the hell does he do that?!" the redhead yelled.

---

The axe swung down to finally end the creature's life but instead of the sound of metal on flesh the sound of metal on metal rang through the small pumpkin patch.

"What the hell?"

Toshiro tried to put on his best smile, "I'm afraid, I'll be taking this Hippogriff."

With a flick of Hyorinmaru the axe was forced from the man's hands.

With a slash the chains were broken and Buckbeak, seeming to sense to urgency in the situation, took off running into the tree line and in the direction of the others.

With a nod Toshiro was gone leaving a confused executioner and spectators.

* * *

Hagrid smiled through his tears, "Go Buckbeak! Run!" He sniffled into his handkerchief, "Bless Toshiro's little heart. He's a good lad he is."

Lucius Malfoy snarled as he turned to the headmaster, "Dumbledore what is the meaning of this!?"

"Well," the man smiled, "It would seem we have our very own animal rights activist at Hogwarts."

"D-Don't just stand there," he yelled "Send someone after him! I want that boy expelled and that creature exterminated!"

"Oh, Buckbeak is long gone by now Lucius."

"We should search," Cornelius Fudge trailed off as he stared out.

"Oh search the grounds and the skies if you must Cornelius," Dumbledore said dismissively before he turned to Hagrid, "But in the mean time I wouldn't say no to a cup or tea…or a large Brandy." He turned to the execution, "It seems your services will no longer be needed, would you care to join us?"

The man nodded as he pulled of his mask to reveal dirty blond hair and a friendly smile, "Why that'd be lovely."

Dumbledore spared one last glance in Hitsugaya's direction, turning around before anyone could see his smirk.

* * *

Toshiro swore as he grabbed a near by tree branch to steady himself.

Buckbeak looked back to see if his newest friend was alright and clawed at the ground when the taicho didn't keep moving right away.

Hitsugaya eventually moved on, ignoring the dizzy feeling and how the ever present buzzing and the new found ringing in his ears seemed to be double teaming him.

"Toshiro!"

He looked up to see Harry waving to him, "Hurry!"

The Shinigami guided the creature towards the group, "Bow."

Sirius nodded as he carefully made his way over to the Hippogriff, bowing deeply when he was a few meters away.

Buckbeak stared over at the man before returning the gesture much to everyone's relief. As he went to climb on, Harry called out to him, "Wait! I- where will you go?"

The man smiled, "I have a place in mind. You know, I was going to ask if you would want to come and live with me."

The teen brightened, "That would be…amazing."

"Well, it doesn't look like it'll be able to happen for…a while to say the least, but if you ever need something just write me, I'm sure your owl will find me."

"Alright."

"And by the way Hermione," Sirius called once he was in place on Buckbeak's back, "You were right about the broom, it was from me."

She nodded and gave him a small smile, "It was a pleasure meeting you, if only it was under better circumstances."

He nodded his agreement. "Take care, Ronald." The redhead told him the same.

"Fly out over the lake," Hitsugaya advised, "It'll be safer."

The man sighed, "So, will I ever see you again?"

He smirked, "Unless I'm sent to collect your soul, I doubt it."

"If you ever need anything…" Sirius trailed off.

"I'll know who to find," Toshiro finished "It's been a pleasure."

"Likewise," Sirius smiled as he stuck out a hand.

The taicho clasped it tightly in his own, before letting it slip away, "You should get going. I can take care of things from here."

"I don't doubt it."

And with a small kick Buckbeak was off flying through the night sky, headed towards the lake and the mountains.

"Did he have a wand with him?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"I didn't see one," Harry answered his friend wondering what she was getting at, "Why?"

Hitsugaya, who'd been resting in the grass stood, "Can't you feel them?"

"What are you…," his voiced petered out as frost began to build on his glasses, "Oh no."

The group looked up to see dozens of Dementors fly through the sky in pursuit of Sirius.

"What do we do?" Hermione panicked.

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed trying to catch the man's attention although they all knew it was hopeless. "SIRIUS!"

Toshiro elbowed him aside, knowing the boy would scream himself hoarse before he relented.

"Get back," the taicho growled as he unsheathed Hyorinmaru.

"What are you doing?!" Hermione called as several of the Dementors broke away and began heading towards them, "It's no use we've got to get out of here."

She began pulling Ron to his feet, trying to ignore her trembling limbs as she did. Harry was already murmuring nonsense to himself as he sunk to the ground. The taicho only hoped that Sirius didn't fall off of the Hippogriff's back before the Dementors could be dealt with.

He sighed as he called, "Reign over the frozen Heavens: Hyorinmaru!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Ron screamed over the wind.

The giant ice dragon swept through the air, freezing and crashing through the Dementors as he went. As the ice began to fall from the sky and shatter when it hit the ground Ron continued to hell, "What the hell?! Hitsugaya whatever you're doing… keep doing it! 'Mione are you seeing this?! Bloody amazing, that's what it is!"

The witch nodded in shock as she shook Harry's shoulder, "Harry! Harry! Are you seeing this?"

As the screams began to fade from his ears Harry finally looked up amazed at what he saw, if not slightly scared. When Dumbledore had said Hitsugaya was powerful…he'd had no idea.

As the last of the Dementors were frozen and the Dragon began to fade from the sky the group watched as Toshiro's balance wavered and finally left him.

Harry rushed forwards to help him, "Are you alright?! What _was_ that?!"

The transfer nodded as he caught his breath, his eyes focusing on the teen in front of him for one moment and then wandering the next.

"Oi, can you hear me? Toshiro!" he called as the white haired head lolled to the side.

"Toshiro!"

The boy grimaced, "If you'd please refrain from shouting in my ear."

Harry smiled, "Well if you'd please refrain from scaring the hell out of me. You've got a bit of explaining to do once you can actually see straight."

"Whatever you want," Hitsugaya muttered as he lay back in the grass.

"Are you alright," Hermione called as she ran up to the pair, "Toshiro that was…amazing!"

"Hn."

"And I'm going to want a full explanation!"

He nodded as he relaxed with the sealed Hyorinmaru at his side, "I believe Potter said something along the same lines."

"We should get him and Ron back up to the castle," Hermione pointed out to her friend.

"You go ahead," the taicho said, waving them off "I'm going to stay here for a while."

She huffed, "You can't just sleep out here all night, and I don't care how tired you are. Besides, you look positively awful. Madam Pomfrey's going to have a fit when she finds out that her favourite student is ill again," she added in a teasing manner.

"Hn."

"Come on," she encouraged as she grabbed his arm to pull him up, "We need to get you into the Hospital Wing."

"And tell them what?" he drawled tiredly shaking off her hold, "How are we going to explain to them? They're going to be rather curious as to why there are over a hundred frozen Dementors on the grounds and once they melt Lord only knows what it'll look like. Not to mention that Lupin is missing and Snape is knocked…where is he?" he asked, looking around

"He couldn't have moved on his own. You didn't just leave him… _did_ you?"

The teens exchanged a nervous glance. Harry frowned as he thought back,

"…Crap."

* * *

Dear Readers,

It feels no different from 2009 except now I'm going to have to write the date /10 instead of /09. Well, that and we can say its twenty-ten and that just sounds all futuristic. *nods* But my friend pointed out, what do you call summer? I mean you could say, the summer of sixty-nine, the summer of o-two, but the summer of ten? That sounds weird. School on Monday which is just awful! I hate it! Well…okay I don't hate it but I don't like it either. And all my lessons will be back up and running as well. *sigh* Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	35. All Good Things

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Ever notice I write that every chapter opening? Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really does make my day to read them all! Sorry about the delay on this…I actually hadn't realized how long it'd been.

**.:One Chapter Left:. **

**NOTE**

**Now some people have expressed their…concern because now that Peter's gone, who will help Voldemort rise again? So, I'm just going to say this: don't worry about it. **_**I'm**_** not. Because truth be told, the sequel takes place in the fifth book. And Peter's not really in the fifth book. We'll all just assume that some other random death eater did it. I mean, there are plenty of them. We can even make one up! His name will be…Stephan…Yes, Stephan shall do rather nicely. We'll never hear of Stephan, I'll never write of Stephan, but in the back of our minds we'll all know he did it. **

* * *

"_He couldn't have moved on his own. You didn't just leave him… did you?" _

_The teens exchanged a nervous glance and Harry frowned as he thought back,_

"…_Crap." _

* * *

They found Snape easily enough seeing as he couldn't exactly _go_ anywhere so he soon joined the little procession in their trek up to the castle.

The taicho was beginning to get rather annoyed with the fact that the ringing in his ears had yet to fade. In fact it had taken to getting louder then soft again, it all together had a somewhat dizzying effect on the Shinigami who was having enough balance problems as it was.

When they finally did make it up the castle it was only to be met with Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey waiting for them expectantly. McGonagall rushed towards Snape to check on the Potion's Master while Pomfrey began fussing over Ron and his broken…and possibly somewhat frostbitten leg.

Hitsugaya watched on silently as a stretcher suddenly appeared to carry the teen away, vaguely wondering how they'd known of what had happened. One glance at the Headmaster told him that he'd clearly arranged for them to be met at the doors.

"If you'd be so kind as to follow me up to my office?" the old man asked with a smile and yet something told the Shinigami that it was more of an order than a request.

The white haired taicho nodded before following after him, glancing back to see Hermione and Harry heading up towards the Hospital Wing after Ron.

As the Headmaster departed Hitsugaya followed swiftly after, shaking off the exhaustion that was plaguing his body.

"I must admit, I was quite surprised when you appeared at Buckbeak's execution," Dumbledore chuckled from his place a few strides ahead of the taicho

"Pleasantly so, I assure you. I was wondering how you'd manage it all, but I realized eventually to just…let the cards fall where they may."

Sparkling blue eyes stared into teal as the Professor turned to look at him, "You're much more powerful then I first assumed. Though, I'll admit I had a feeling that it was so."

Toshiro kept quiet as he glared at the man wondering where he was going with his little speech.

"Ah," the man sighed as he picked up his pace "We can continue this conversation in my office, the walls have ears."

The white haired taicho glanced at said stone walls suspiciously before following after until they reached the entrance to the Headmaster's office. With a quietly uttered password the gargoyle spun away to reveal a revolving staircase that the Headmaster easily stepped onto, beckoning for the Shinigami to follow.

"I'll try to keep this meeting short," the man assured "I know you must be very tired and I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will be wondering about how her favourite student is fairing."

Toshiro made a noise in the back of his throat to acknowledge the man's words but otherwise remained silent, running through the day's events in his head.

Sure, maybe he'd helped a convicted –albeit, innocent- man escape after being ordered to capture him, and okay, he'd destroyed a good portion of the grounds, killed a few hundred Dementors, killed an supposedly dead man, and put his charge in grave peril, but was that all _really_ so wrong?

One look glance at Dumbledore later he realized that, yes, yes it probably was.

The taicho followed the Headmaster into his office and sat in the chair in front of the large desk that the old man sat behind.

"Now," Dumbledore nodded "I suppose I have some explaining to do."

Hitsugaya stared over at the man for a moment rather surprised as his pale hands clenched Hyorinmaru who was resting on his lap.

Well then.

"Yes, you most certainly do."

Might as well just go with it.

"I'm afraid," Dumbledore sighed "That I've been unfair to you Mr. Hitsugaya."

When he fell silent Toshiro motioned for him to continue, rather curious as to where the Headmaster was going with this. With another sigh, the man removed his glasses and set them down on his desk,

"I used you to my own advantage all the while putting you in danger. Why, I even used an Unforgivable on you, and for that, I am most truly sorry."

"This isn't the sort of thing that can be overlooked so easily," the taicho stared "The blackmailing of someone of my stature is not something to be taken lightly."

"And if I were to explain my actions?" he enquired.

"I'll admit I'm curious," Toshiro revealed as he leaned back in his chair. "I've completed the mission assigned by you, but also my own. I've gathered all the information I needed and no one was harmed, more or less. I'm satisfied with all of that, but I can't help but think there was something more to your actions than what you attempted to let on."

The man smiled, "Ah, you are a bright one."

The taicho smirked, "Trying to soften me up before you begin?"

The Headmaster chuckled quietly, "If only."

Silence blanketed the room as each waited for the other to say something but before long Dumbledore was the first to speak,

"I'm sure that through your studies here that you've learned that there are many ways to gain information from someone without the use of torture."

The taicho held back a wince as he remembered the pain of biting through his own tongue, "Yes, though I'd assumed you to just have a pension for causing others pain."

"Understandable, but no," the elderly wizard intoned, "I needed you…I needed you to _hate_ me."

"You succeeded."

"I've known all along that Sirius Black was an innocent man," the white haired wizard revealed solemnly, "No matter how people may change over the years there was no way, the wonderfully mischievous child I saw grow from a boy to a young man would ever betray his friends. I just had no proof."

Toshiro nodded in understanding as Dumbledore ran a hand over his eyes, suddenly looking much older than he had a few moments prior.

"When he escaped I began forming a plan to allow him to stay out of Azkaban. It wasn't one of my better ones I'll admit, but if everything went accordingly, he would be a free man. But then you came along. A little wildcard," He grinned.

"You single-handedly threw all of my months of planning into chaos. I'd had no idea what you were, why you were here, who sent you; though I'll admit I'm still mostly in the dark. Not only could you possibly have been working for the enemy, you could have been an undercover Ministry agent- I've had my fair share of those, but you could have been here to hurt my students. And so I did what I had to," he said, no hint of remorse in his voice.

"For that, I do not apologize. As Headmaster it's my duty to protect all those who live in Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it took me far too long to realize that you too fell under that category."

"Its fine," The taicho admitted "To protect your subordinates and those under your watch…well, I'd expect you to go to the ends of the Earth. I know I would."

The man smiled as he nodded amusedly, "When I saw you sitting in that chair bleeding as you were, I suddenly realized that I could use you. After Severus told us about your…state of being, well the possibilities were endless. The Ministry would never suspect that I'd had a lone child help Sirius Black escape and there were no truly valid records of your existence. My previous plan would have been far too simple to trace back to me, but you? Well," The Headmaster laughed,

"You were an unknown. An unexpected variable. But I couldn't just ask you, oh not with Severus standing right there. I trust the man with my life but there's always been bad blood between the two of them."

"So I've heard," Hitsugaya nodded as he set Hyorinmaru to lean against the side of his chair, "Do continue."

The man nodded, "I couldn't let anyone know what I'd done, and assisting a criminal is an offence that even _I_ cannot overcome. So I needed you to help him. But I couldn't simply ask it of you! And even if I had, would you have agreed?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing twinkle in his blue eye.

"Most likely…not," Toshiro admitted grudgingly.

"And I couldn't trust you anyway, so I needed _you_ to go to Sirius. And what better a way than revenge?" he laughed. "I could see the hate in your eyes as I stood over you, I knew if everything was set accordingly you would agree to help him. And of course Sirius would ask it of you, an innocent man wants nothing more than for someone to simply listen to them. To_ believe_," he stressed.

"And now here we are, an innocent creature saved, my students all safely in their beds save a few, and Sirius Black a free man."

"You forgot Lupin," Toshiro reminded him.

"Ah yes," the man nodded "Well, I hadn't truly known what he'd decide to do in the end but I'm quite happy that those two have reconciled. I'm sure he'll show up before sunrise," he added when he noticed the look on the white haired boy's face.

"And though he'll be embarrassed he'll be as fine as he is after any full moon."

"So…all of this, it was just so that Black could get away? All of it, for one man?" the Shinigami asked disbelievingly.

Dumbledore nodded, "I'm afraid that Sirius will have to play a role in what is to come."

Toshiro frowned, "What exactly are you speaking of?"

"There's a war coming Mr. Hitsugaya, one that I'm sorry to say cannot be prevented."

"I take it you're speaking of Voldemort?"

The man nodded, "I've known for years that he would come back to power, it's only a matter of time and that time is drawing near rapidly."

The taicho considered his word's for a moment as he glanced out a nearby window that looked onto the grounds before speaking, "I'm going to tell you now, that I can be of no assistance. Though I may have formed some ties here, this is not my world; it's not my war to fight, I have my own waiting for me when I return home."

"Though you would be a great help, I could never ask that of you anyway," Dumbledore conceded, "Not after what I've put you through in the past months."

Toshiro acknowledged the man's words with a quiet hum, feeling as if they'd reached an understanding of sorts. But something was still bothering him—

"You seem to have a pension for interfering with the lives of others."

The headmaster looked taken off guard for a moment before he agreed, "You aren't wrong in that respect. But I prefer to think that when I do meddle, it tends to be for the greater good."

"Well," Hitsugaya drawled with a small smirk. "I think a warning is in order, because one day all the meddling is going to backfire on you. And then where will you be?"

"Dead most likely," Dumbledore admitted.

"Yes, dead. And in _my_ world," He added, his words laced with a thinly veiled threat.

"Could I ask you something?" the wizard enquired.

When he received a languid nod he continued, "How old are you exactly?"

The white haired boy chuckled, "How old do you think?"

"Well," the man considered "If I were to hazard a guess I'd say…one hundred."

"Close," Toshiro revealed "I'm one hundred and twenty-two."

Dumbledore smiled as sunlight began to flood the room and he replaced his glasses on his face, "You're quite the interesting being Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The Shinigami smirked as he stood to leave, "I could say the same to you."

* * *

With the sun peaking over the horizon Toshiro made his way through the halls of the school deciding to just head back to the common room and rest for a while.

Seeing as it was still extremely early the hallways were completely empty except for the lone Shinigami therefore it was quite easy for him to pick up the sounds of the coming party moving in his direction.

A rather portly man was making his way towards Dumbledore's office apparently, followed by several other wizards and judging by the way they were grouped and how the man's stride seemed to exude self importance if the taicho were to guess he'd say he was looking at the Minister of Magic and his entourage.

When the group spotted the young Shinigami several of them stopped to stare blatantly including Fudge himself.

"Is-Is that a _sword_ you're carrying boy?" the Minister asked.

Toshiro glanced at Hyorinmaru and seeing no point in lying simply nodded in response.

A rather tall dark skinned man pulled his wand from within his robes as he took a step towards the white haired taicho, "And just why I might ask are you toting around a sword in the middle of Hogwarts?"

"Ah," a voice sounded from behind the taicho, "Cornelius, thank you for coming on such short notice."

Everyone's gaze turned to see Dumbledore waiting for them at the end of the hall, "I see you've met Mr. Hitsugaya, one of our brightest students."

The Minister looked from the white haired boy to the Headmaster, "Why does he have a sword?! And just what in the blazes is he wearing? His uniform is ruined!"

Dumbledore simple waved his hand as if batting aside the man's words, "Simply a school project I assure you. Now Mr. Hitsugaya," the Headmaster continued "I suggest you make your way to the Hospital Wing to treat that _cold_ of yours."

"A school project?" Fudge asked incredulously.

"Yes, yes," The elderly wizard nodded as he began making his way down the hall back to his office, "Now come along, I have tea waiting."

Fudge hesitated for a moment before quickly making his way after Dumbledore, "But a _sword_?! In the school? And a project at this time of day? Just how are you running this place Albus?! Wait- did you say Hitsugaya? Isn't that the boy who--"

The dark skinned man gave him a small nod before making his way after his minister closely followed by the rest of the small group.

Hitsugaya watched them leave before turning to continue on to the common room. If he really needed to he'd go to the Hospital Wing at a later time but for now, he was content to just sleep off his fatigue in his own bed.

"Toshiro!"

The Shinigami huffed as he looked up to find Neville running from the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

"Are you alright?"

The white haired transfer student sighed, "I'm fine."

"Well Madame Pomfrey told me to come and find you. What the bloody hell is everyone doing up at this hour?" his friend asked, rather annoyed.

"Everyone just disappeared then the next thing I know Hermione's telling me Madame Pomfrey needs me to find you. Just what the hell is happening?!"

The taicho shrugged as the two friends began making their way in the general direction of the Hospital Wing, "There's something I should probably tell you."

The taller boy looked down at him curiously, "Tell me?"

"Yes," Hitsugaya nodded "You see I've been working with Sirius Black."

Neville paled for a moment as he took a step back, "What?"

"I've been assisting Sirius Black for several months now."

The brown haired boy's confused face began to morph into one of horror, "You-you mean you've been trying to kill Harry?"

"No," Toshiro said shortly.

"Bu—but," Neville stuttered quietly before taking a deep breath, "Maybe…you should explain."

And so he did.

The Shinigami explained what had transpired over the past few months and a _slightly_ edited version of the night's events.

"So…you've been guarding Harry?" Neville asked, still unsure about the events that had occurred.

"Yes," Hitsugaya agreed calmly as they continued to walk through the empty halls.

"And…Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew in the end?"

"Yes."

The taicho wasn't exactly sure what drove him to lie to his friend but something told him it was the right thing to do and so he nodded along as he continued to tell how Sirius had struck Pettigrew down as he'd been fleeing.

"But all those Dementors," Neville cut in nervously "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine I assure you," Hitsugaya answered quietly.

The teen stared at him for a moment before sighing, "Whatever you say, but you've still got to go to the Hospital Wing."

When the white haired boy frowned he continued.

"Madame Pomfrey's expecting you. She's probably wondering what's taking us so long anyway."

Toshiro nodded as they turned a corner, finding themselves in front of the Hospital Wing doors. They swung open as if the pair had somehow been sensed and the taicho looked down to find a hand suddenly grasping the front of his uniform when he was suddenly yanked into the room.

"You should have come right to me," Madame Pomfrey huffed as she continued to drag him about the room "Albus thinks he can just take my patients as he pleases! Ha! The nerve of that man."

"I'm fine," Hitsugaya protested as he found Hyorinmaru ripped from his grasp and his haori pulled off his shoulders.

The nurse batted away his hands as he went to grab at the white fabric, "Nonsense, now stay still."

Before he could get in another word his obi was being untied. The taicho sighed as he shoved away the woman's hands, "I can manage myself thank you."

The woman hesitated for a moment before nodding and handing him a pair of standard issue pajamas. She then led him behind one of the screens before disappearing off to somewhere, leaving him to change on his own much to his relief. The Shinigami made sure to carefully fold his uniform when he was done changing and placed it on the nearest bed before taking a seat.

"Hitsugaya?" a voice he recognized as Potter's called from behind another screen a few beds down.

Noticing that Madame Pomfrey was gone for the moment the white haired boy stood and made his way to where he'd heard the teen's voice come from. When he slipped around the screen he discovered Harry with a couple bandages on his face tucked into a bed but otherwise he seemed perfectly fine.

"How are you?"

The Shinigami shrugged, "Fine. A little tired maybe."

"Well you look like crap," the brown haired wizard stated bluntly.

"Ah, ever the honest one," Toshiro smirked as he sat at the foot of the bed.

Harry smiled, "Well someone needs to be. So," he started seriously "Are you going to tell me what the bloody hell you pulled back there?"

"It's nothing more than an ability I possess," the taicho shrugged as teal met green.

"You make it sound so trivial," Potter frowned.

"My people can all perform techniques using their swords as I did. They vary of course, some can use fire, and others wind or water but we call those elementals. There are also those who have abilities to affect gravity or it may be that the sword itself is the focal point of the technique."

Harry stared for a moment before nodding blankly, "Alright…I guess…that makes sense. In a way."

"It's not as grand of an explanation as you were expecting I take it?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking you'd finally spill everything you've being hiding or something."

The Shinigami smirked, "I'm afraid you'll just have to remain in the dark Potter."

"I guess," he agreed "But, you're seriously powerful. I mean _whoa_ powerful. I think Ron nearly had a coronary when that dragon thing appeared."

"I suppose you could say I'm one of the strongest where I'm from."

"One…" Harry trailed off "So…there are people stronger than you?"

Hitsugaya nodded, "Several."

"But you're still young right? You'll get even stronger in time."

"True."

Potter sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "You're not going to tell me much…are you."

Toshiro gave him a small smile, "No. I'm sorry to say I can't. Although if I could I would. You'd deserve that after what I put you through last night."

"It's alright," Harry assured smartly "Hermione won't rest until she's figured you out anyway. I don't need _you_ to tell me everything. I'd bet you a galleon we'll have you all figured out by the end of the summer."

"Hn."

"So…" Harry said "What now?"

A war, Toshiro was tempted to say but instead he just shrugged, "We go home. It's summer after all."

"Yeah, but what about you?" the glasses wearing teen asked.

"I…disappear."

"You're not coming back," Harry stated flatly.

"I'm afraid not."

"Neville is…_really_ going to miss you once you're gone."

"And I him," the Shinigami assured as he picked a piece of lint from his pants and flicked it aside.

"Do you think we'll ever get to see you again?"

Hitsugaya remained silent for a moment before answering, "It's unlikely, but not impossible I suppose. After all, maybe I'll be the one to collect your soul."

Harry looked rather disturbed for a moment before nodding silently.

"So I suppose," Toshiro chuckled "That means we'd best hope I don't see you for a while."

Harry nodded, "We'd best hope."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Again, sorry about the delay. I seriously didn't realize it'd been that long since I'd updated. Anyway, school's back in session obviously, exams are done for yet another term, and life is good. Busy but good. Right now I'm picking my classes for next year. To think, I'll be in grade 12. I feel old. My parents want me to go back for a year after I graduate because they seem to share the opinion that 17 is too young to go off to school. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do yet. Maybe I'll go back for a half a year, work the other half or something. And a lot of people I know are staying back for a year, but it makes me feel like I'm being left behind you know? And being left behind…well, that's just no good in my books. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	36. The Disappearing Act

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

****There will be a small bonus chapter-thing to find out about what ended up happening with Matsumoto and Byakuya. I'll post it soon enough, it's already done****

**PS. It's your last chance so if you all could remember to review it'd be AMAZING! I'd don't care if you've never reviewed before. Tell me what you thought about the entire thing and your favourite parts!**

* * *

**We're finally here **

* * *

"_So I suppose," Toshiro chuckled "That means we'd best hope I don't see you for a while." _

_Harry nodded, "We'd best hope."_

_

* * *

_

The days following Sirius' escape found Toshiro along with Ron in the Hospital Wing. Harry was released after a good night's sleep but Ron's leg had needed a few days to heal while Toshiro needed to recover from the lingering effects of the Dementors but when he was finally released it was only to be met with Luna and Neville waiting for him by the doors.

"So," Neville started as they began making their way down the hall "How do you feel like spending your last few days at Hogwarts?"

Hitsugaya shrugged, "I don't really care."

"I think we should go down to the lake," Luna suggested, playing with her radish earrings as she did. Her two friends considered it for a moment before nodding.

"There'll probably be a bunch of people down there though," Neville pointed out as they ducked down an adjacent hallway.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find a spot," Toshiro assured quietly as he pulled at his tie.

So they made their way to go and sit by the lakeshore and sure enough, they did find a quiet spot to sit under the shade of a tree much to Hitsugaya's relief who was pulling off his vest after five minutes in the humid air.

"Luna," Neville laughed as he pointed at the blonde, "Your hair!"

Toshiro glanced over at the girl only to find her hair slowly frizzing right before their eyes. The sleek mass of waves was transforming into a static mess even after she'd tried to flatten it out.

Before long she just shrugged, clearly not all that concerned with how her hair looked, "Compared to yours, I think mine is just fine."

"She's right," Neville agreed, tugging at a lock of white, "The only time I've ever seen it lay flat was when it was wet. It's like your entire head has a cowlick."

Hitsugaya glared as he swatted at the offending hand, "Can we please move away from the topic of my hair?"

"Whatever you say," Neville chuckled as they fell silent under the shade of their tree.

* * *

Toshiro huffed as he glared down at his trunk which was once again refusing to close. It wasn't like he'd bought anything to add to it's contents and yet it seemed as if it was even fuller than it'd been at the beginning of the year.

The only things he could think of were the gifts he'd been given during Christmas and possibly a few trinkets he'd been given for his birthday. But even so, they shouldn't have been enough to fill it so completely.

The taicho managed not to sigh after a moment when he realized he'd forgotten about the different text books and scrolls he'd collected over his stay at Hogwarts.

A pale hand delved in to wrap around a large grey book they'd used for transfiguration and he gave it a lingering glance before carelessly tossing it aside. There was soon a giant pile of books and random scraps of scrolls and old assignments but what really caught his eye was the picture Neville had given him for Christmas, the two of them smiling out in the court yard as snow continued fell from the cement coloured sky.

As he watched Neville flicked his smaller counterpart on the ear earning the brown haired boy a glare. It was always interesting watching the pictures around the school. It reminded him of the movies and videos people seemed to have become so taken with.

The smaller Neville sneezed earning himself a look of disgust as the tiny Shinigami handed him a handkerchief that'd been hanging from his pocket.

The taicho gave a small smile as he slipped it carefully into his jacket pocket, glad to find that his trunk could actually close.

He carefully picked up Ran who'd been napping on his bed before making his way to the door. In a moment of hesitation he looked back into the room.

Ten months had gone by a little too fast maybe.

With a nod to himself and a deep breath, he shut the door with a snap.

---

He met with everyone down in the Common Room where Harry and Ron were crowded together over what appeared to be the Marauder's Map that Lupin had confiscated a few months prior.

"So I take it he gave it back?" The taicho asked as he took a seat.

Harry nodded as he look up, "Yeah but, he got fired."

"Well I'd expect so," Toshiro said plainly as he gently ran his fingers through the cat's fur. Eyes glared back at him so he continued,

"Surely parents wouldn't take too kindly to having a werewolf running around their children's school. I'm not insinuating that he deserves it, and I'm not saying he isn't a good teacher or a good man, but it's to be expected. People fear those that they can't see themselves in."

Ron huffed, "Well that's just not fair."

"No one ever said it was."

"So uh…you're leaving?" Harry asked quietly as he folded the map.

Toshiro stood, pulling his wand out from his pant pocket as he did

"Yes," he nodded as he leaned down and pressed the tip of his wand to the worn paper, "Mischief Managed…right?"

Green eyes crinkled as the teen smiled up at him as he turned to leave with a small wave in their direction

"Right."

---

Toshiro found Neville and Luna waiting for him at the gates and was happy to note that the Dementors were gone from their previous posts.

When he arrived back in Soul Society he'd have to submit his report quickly so they could begin the irradiation project that was sure to ensue promptly.

"Are you happy to be going home?" Luna asked dreamily as she pushed a few strands of blonde behind her ear while they began walking down the dirt path.

Neville shrugged, "It's always nice to see Gran, but she can be a little…overbearing."

"It will be nice to see those I left behind," Hitsugaya answered flatly.

"How about you?" the brown haired teen asked.

"I'm going on an expedition with my father for the summer and I'm quite looking forward to it."

The two boys nodded and left it at that because when it came to Luna, sometimes it was better just not to ask.

"What was your favourite part about Hogwarts?" Neville asked, directing his question towards their white haired companion.

The Shinigami's nose scrunched as he thought, "I'm not entirely sure. Meeting the two of you was…nice."

His two friends smiled at time, knowing what he was really trying to say.

"Meeting you was nice as well," Luna called whimsically.

"Very nice," Neville agreed.

When they got to the train station they snagged a car near the front to themselves, casting the various articles that they'd carried with them onto the upper racks.

Toshiro pulled off the thin brown leather jacket he'd been wearing and set Ran down on the seat beside his own. He glared as he picked off a few pieces of fur from the light plaid of his button up shirt and the dark material of his pants.

"Tell me this thing has air conditioning," he muttered as he sat down.

"Obviously not _air conditioning_ but …uh…I'm not sure actually," Neville frowned, trying to recall past train rides.

"It's not really warm for this time of year so I doubt they'll cast anything to cool the air down."

Hitsugaya huffed as he rolled his sleeves to his elbows, "All you wizards are insane."

"Well all that air conditioning is just making it warmer in the long run," Neville shrugged.

Toshiro stopped for a moment, "Warmer?"

"Well yeah, global warming and all that."

The taicho looked at him confusedly, "Global…warming?"

The teen nodded, "Yeah, all the cars and electricity are supposedly warming the earth up because of the ozone layer degrading and trapping gases or something like that. A couple of my neighbours are muggles so I hear this stuff."

"So you mean to tell me, that people are making this place _warmer_ than it already is?"

"I guess," His friend shrugged, "I don't know. I only hear bits and I think some people say it's not true or something along those lines."

"Warmer," The Shinigami practically hissed, "To think."

"Are you going to become an environmentalist?" Luna asked from her place in the seat across from him.

"Oh an animal right's activist _and_ an environmentalist now! Aren't you the globally aware one!" Neville laughed.

Hitsugaya glared, regretting having ever told him about Dumbledore's comment, "Just shut up."

Neville grinned, "Whatever you say."

"I liked you better when you acted like a shy, bumbling fool."

The other chuckled, "I'm still a bumbling fool."

Toshiro shot him a withering look as if to say he wasn't but otherwise ignored the teen's comment and instead leaned back in his seat and stared out of at the passing scenery.

* * *

The trip back to London went by agonizingly slowly, but also far, _far_ too quickly.

As they pulled in the trio began grabbing their things occasionally glancing out of the window to see the parents milling about, waiting for their children to disembark.

Hitsugaya grabbed up Ran after pulling on his jacket and followed his friends from the train and out onto the platform. The place was filled with the sounds of luggage thudding onto the ground and parents calling out for their offspring along with joyous hellos.

The three pushed their way through the crowd until they found where their trunks had been dropped and quickly began dragging them away so that they were no longer in the heart of the chaos.

Neville sighed in relief as he dropped the end he'd been dragging, "Damn these things are heavy."

Toshiro who'd had no trouble with his simply nodded, wondering if Luna was going to need some help getting her trunk around seeing as she looked rather winded.

"Luna? Luna darling? Is that you?" a man's voice called from within the mob.

"Ah, that's my father," the blonde noted as she dropped the edge of her trunk and straightened her sweater.

"I must be going." She said simply before shaking both their hands with vigour.

"Yeah," Neville nodded as he drew back his hand.

"I'll see you next year," she said pointedly to the brown haired teen before her eyes met with Toshiro's, "And I suppose I won't be seeing you for a while."

"Yes," the Shinigami nodded, "Goodbye."

"Not goodbye I think," she smiled mysteriously as she grabbed up her trunk and started dragging it along, "A see you later."

Soon enough she disappeared off into the people, hopefully in the direction that her father was in.

"And then were two," Neville sighed as he looked down at his friend, "It won't be the same without you."

"You managed for two years without me," the taicho responded as he sucked in a breath as if to calm his nerves, "I'm sure you'll do just fine. You'll have Luna after all."

"But we're in different years," Neville insisted gesturing in the direction she'd gone off in, "Are you _sure_ you can't come back?"

The white haired boy nodded as he looked down at his trunk, tempted to take a seat but decided against it.

"You know," Toshiro started almost hesitantly as he looked down at Ran who was still nestled in the crook of his arm.

"I'm not going to be able to take care of him; in fact, I doubt he'd even make it through to my world."

Neville frowned worriedly as he was slammed into by a passing gentleman who quickly apologized, "Than what's going to happen to him? You can't just leave him anywhere."

"You're right," the Shinigami agreed, "So I won't leave him anywhere," he said as he gently dropped the cat into his friend's arms

"I'll leave him with you."

The taller teen looked shocked, "What?! I can't keep him! Gran will never—

"He's perfectly behaved. I doubt she'll have an issue with it. And if she does, just tell her you're doing a friend a favour," Hitsugaya cut him off.

"Yeah but you've never met her," the taller said defensively but he held onto the cat tightly none the less, "I love her, but she's a demon is disguise she is!"

"I somehow doubt that," Toshiro said shoving his now free hands into his jacket pockets, giving his friend a rather sedate-_content_- smile as he did.

"Neville?!" a voice called over the din of the crowd, yelling for him to hurry along.

"Oh," the boy uttered, his head jerking around to see an elderly woman making her way through the mob of people.

"Speak of the devil, there she is now," he sighed as he turned," I guess I'd better—

He stopped short when he found the place where his friend had been standing empty except for an abandoned trunk, and a lingering cold in the air.

"Toshiro?"

* * *

Dear Readers,

I just want to thank you all for reading this story and taking this little journey with me. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you took something away from this. Thanks to all those who reviewed, and even those who didn't and just read it. Thank you, thank you, _thank_ you. I just can't say it enough. You're all wonderful. It's been a pleasure.

ForeverFalling.


	37. A Bonus Chapter: Concussed

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all. Well here it is: The Bonus Chapter! It's very short, I know. But it feels like things have come full circle...if you can remember chapter one. That _was_ over a year ago. Thanks for reading.

****I've posted a new one-shot called On Silent Wings. It's for Bleach. And come on, can you guess who it's about? I'd hope so by now.****

* * *

It was with a sigh of relief that Hitsugaya finally made it back to the tenth division. While he'd enjoyed his time at Hogwarts there was just something about coming home.

Members of his squad bowed and greeted him as he passed before returning to their duties, some taking the time to welcome him back. He responded back with a simple nod before he continued on, hoping to make it back to his office to see what sort of damage his Lieutenant had done while he'd been away.

With a deep breath he slid the door aside and strode into the room.

"Taicho!" Matsumoto greeted him, clearly surprised as she shot up from her place behind his desk.

"Matsumoto," he responded calmly. "What are you up to?"

The busty woman paled slightly, "W-why nothing!"

He hm'd to himself as he looked around, happily noting that it wasn't in any disrepair despite his absence.

"So I take it, in the end that Kuchiki could not be deterred?"

Her mouth opened slightly before it snapped shut and she nodded.

"Well it seems as if he did a good job. This place is spotless."

"Y-yes Taicho, he did a wonderful job," she muttered, nervously wringing her hands.

The younger Shinigami stopped as he walked up to her, staring into her stormy eyes, "And tell me just what has you _so_ nervous?"

"Nervous?" she practically shrieked "I'm not nervous!"

He gave her a questioning look as he resisted the urge to rub at his ears, "Alright…"

He made to walk over to his desk only to choke as Matsumoto grabbed at the collar of his jacket and dragged him back.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed as he rubbed at his neck and pulled the brown leather from her grasp.

"Uh…taicho, why don't we go and see Ukitake-Taicho?" she asked as a smile spread across her face. "I'm sure he'd love to see you after all these months."

"It hasn't even been that long," he muttered as he straightened his jacket, glaring up at the woman. "and besides, I heard of your antics while I was away. Don't think I'm going to forget about your punishment because I'm off visiting. We'll go and see him later if you really want but not now. I need to get some things settled before anything else."

He once again went to walk away only to have her grab him by the upper arm and pull him back once again, only his toes dragging across the floor as she practically lifted him off the hardwood.

"Taicho don't you want to go and get some tea or something? We could even go and see…Zaraki! I bet he'd _love_ to see you."

He gave her a look that clearly asked 'Are you out of your mind?' before he swatted away her hand and once again straightened his clothing,

"We can get tea later…and we'll see Zaraki when we need to but certainly not before than. Now, calm yourself," he added.

"I'm gone for ten months and you decide to go insane."

The woman's hands dropped to her side as she nodded, her eyes glancing over at his desk every once and a while. The taicho stared at her for a moment longer before deciding that she must have suffered some sort of brain trauma while he'd been gone.

Toshiro sighed as he made his way over to his desk, setting down Hyorinmaru on its surface before turning to Rangiku, "Tell someone to go and dust out my quarters and send someone over to get my plants from Unohana taicho, I'll head over there myself later to thank her."

The taicho suddenly stopped mid-step and back tracked a bit, "Matsumoto?"

The woman swallowed nervously as she tugged at her robes, "Y-yes taicho?"

"Why is Kuchiki unconscious on my floor?"

The snowy boy stared down at the unresponsive man who now appeared to be occupying his carpet. He bent down to get a better look only to notice a rather large bump on the taicho's head.

"_What_ did you _do_ to him?" he asked in quiet awe as he poked at the bruise that was beginning to form along the noble's pale skin.

Matsumoto wrung her hands as she looked down at her crouching superior, "Well taicho, I mean, I knew he was stubborn but not _that_ stubborn and uh…it's a bit of a funny story really …"

* * *

"MATSUMOTO!"

One of the two officers dropped his pile of paperwork as the shout rang through the Division hallways and the temperature took a nose dive.

"Well," he said turning to his friend, "Taicho's back."

The other man nodded, as he side stepped around a sheet of ice, reaching for some fallen papers, "Just in time for summer too."

They both looked up as they noticed some other officers coming down the hall.

"Oi! Careful there's—

The group of three was sent crashing down to the icy floor ending up in a tangled mess of limbs and paperwork.

"Ow."

One of them groaned as he rubbed at his now aching head, "So I take it taicho's back."

The first man nodded with a smile, "Sure was boring around here without him."

* * *

**.End.**


	38. The Continuation

**Hey everyone. How have you been? Good I hope. Thanks to all those who reviewed the final chapter, you're all just amazing. **

**Well, I've started the sequel: Winter of the Willows and chapter one has been posted! So, go take a look and let me know what you think of it thus far. **

**He's going back. And it's going to be **_**totally awesome**_**.**

**(If you get the reference, you're amazing)**

**ForeverFalling. **


End file.
